EC wants election work treated as judicial duty

The Election Commission (EC) has requested the Supreme Court (SC) to treat as judicial duty the work of committees formed to investigate any pre-election irregularities that may occur and conduct summary trials of election offences in Thakurgaon-1.

The request comes ahead of the by-election to the Thakurgaon-1 constituency, scheduled for October 29.

EC officials said on Saturday that a letter had been sent to the Registrar General of the Supreme Court in this regard.

Earlier, EC Deputy Secretary Mohammad Didar Hossain issued an order forming three committees for the by-election. The committees comprise two Joint District and Sessions Judges and a Civil Judge.

The committees were formed under Sections 91A and 91AA of the Representation of the People Order, 1972.

They will investigate any pre-election irregularities that may occur and conduct summary trials of election offences under the relevant law.

Joint District and Sessions Judge Sadia Afsana Rima has been given responsibility for Thakurgaon Sadar upazila.

Civil Judge Md Tosikul Alam will oversee Ruhia upazila, while Rangpur Joint District and Sessions Judge Dewan Moniruzzaman will be responsible for Bhully upazila.

The officials will stay in their assigned areas and perform election duties until the election results are published in the official gazette.

If any pre-election irregularity occurs during this period, the officials will investigate it and send a report to the concerned District Election Officer within three days.

The EC has now asked the Supreme Court to recognise these duties as judicial work.

According to the election schedule, September 27 is the last date for submitting nomination papers, while the papers will be scrutinised on September 29.

Candidates can appeal against the scrutiny decisions from September 30 to October 4, and the appeals will be settled on October 6.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 7, while election symbols will be allocated on October 8.

Voting will take place on October 29 from 8am to 4pm.