The BNP on Friday alleged that Awami League has put the last nail in the coffin of the electoral system of the country by holding a lopsided election of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) using police and outsiders. The party also demanded a fresh election to Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) cancelling the results of the “so-called” violece-marred polls for the sake of the sanctity of the apex court of the country.  “Awami League has turn into such a bankrupt party politically that it has to use police and outsiders to announce its candidates as winners in the Supreme Court Bar Association elections. It’s a matter of great shame,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Under the circumstances, Fakhrul said their party wants the Chief Justice to come forward and take necessary measures to protect the sanctity of the Supreme Court, the highest institution of the judiciary. Also Read: BNP delegation attends dinner hosted by Indian envoy A day after the announcement of SCBA polls results, he made the demand at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan Central office. Even though there was no election legally, Fakhrul alleged that the candidates of the ruling party were declared elected “illegally” and “unilaterally” by arranging a drama in the name of polls.  “I demand holding a fresh election to the Supreme Court Bar Association, immediately annulling the so-called polls Also Read: BNP works out 10-day Independence Day programme Bangabandhu Awami Ainjibi Parishad, the panel of pro-Awami League lawyers, won all the 14 posts of the executive committee of the SCBA polls held on Wednesday and Thursday. Voting took place on Wednesday and Thursday amid the ruckus, violence, clashes, police action, and the allegations of ballot theft and tearing. Fakhrul said their party thinks the SCBA polls have exposed once again that Awami League is a master at vote rigging. “The lawyers of the Supreme Court are called officers of the court. Awami League has destroyed the elections of those lawyers' association by using the police force in a medieval style,” he observed. The BNP leader alleged that Awami League wants to establish a one-party Baksal rule in the country by completely regulating the Judiciary. “They want to establish their control on all bar associations by force. We’re uttering these words with anger and sadness today."  He said it is the sacred duty of those who are in charge of different state institutions to protect the country and the sanctity of the institutions they are leading.  “We can’t imagine that police can enter the Supreme Court and attack the lawyers, beat them, and injure them. This is not a trivial matter and we can’t take it lightly. These incidents are exposing the nature of the country and proving that it has become a failed state,” Fakhrul said He called upon all concerned to come forward to protect the country and its institutions. "We have been saying repeatedly that Bangladesh is no longer a democratic state as the Awami League government is destroying all the democratic institutions in the country in a planned way.”  Replying to a question, the BNP leader said Awami League will definitely rig votes if the next national election is held under it. “No credible election is possible under the Awami League government," he said adding "It has become their character that they will take everything by force. If they stay in power, they will take control over the election and declare their candidates as winners.”  

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday accused the Awami League of rigging votes in Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections and branded the ruling party as a 'pathological thief'. He said, “Their (AL’s) only aim is to indulge in theft. We usually call them vote thieves. They rig votes in the national elections and even in Union Parishad polls. “Now they rigged votes in the Supreme Court and Dhaka Bars. In fact, they are pathological thieves,” he said. Speaking at a discussion programme, the BNP leader also said Awami League does nothing, but steal.  “They make their living by stealing and it is their profession and addiction…They also depleted the country’s resources through theft.” He also alleged that the ruling party destroyed the country's power sector by indulging in widespread stealing. Regarding the SCBA polls, Fakhrul said there was a ruckus in the Supreme Court after false and stamped ballot papers were found there on Tuesday night, the night before the election.  “They (pro-AL lawyers) assaulted our seven-time elected Supreme Court Bar Secretary (Mahbubuddin Khokon) and wounded him. “ He also said a case was filed against 1,000 pro-BNP lawyers, including Khokon, over the incident. “What country do we live in now? Where have we brought this country to?  Awami League has to answer the people for this. They have taken this country to extreme destruction.  They have destroyed all our culture, traditions and democratic values.  They have destroyed all our democratic institutions…” the BNP leader bemoaned. The two-day voting in SCBA elections started around 10 am on Wednesday, but it was suspended immediately when some pro-BNP lawyers staged demonstrations demanding the formation of an election conducting committee led by a neutral person. Read more: AL, not BNP, mastermind of ‘arson terrorism’: Fakhrul The discussion programme was arranged at the Jatiya Press Club marking the launching of the book titled “Amar Rajnitir Rojnamcha” written by BNP Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. Fakhrul said Awami League does not believe in justice, fairness and democracy. “That is why they established a one-party Baksal rule in 1975 by destroying democracy and shutting down all newspapers and dissenting opinions. He feared that there is no guarantee that Khandaker Mosharraf’s book, Amar Rajnitir Rojnamcha, would not be banned by the current Awami League regime. The BNP leader said various media outlets, including Bangladesh Times, Bichitra, Channel1, Islamic TV and Diganta TV were shut down during the rules of Awami League. “But this party again claims they have given democracy an institutional shape.” He said the country’s people have now turned their backs on the present government as they are now unable to buy rice, lentils, salt, eggs and other daily essentials due to unusual hikes in their prices.  Fakhrul also said 42 percent of people in Bangladesh are now living below the poverty line while 80 percent of people cannot eat protein like beef, chicken, mutton and fish.  “But in that country, they have frequently increased the prices of electricity and gas.” He said that the government is now going to take advance income tax as the coffers have got exhausted. “They (AL leaders) are stealing from the banks and the reserves…the people of the country have woken up to defeat this regime through a movement.” Musharraf said he wrote the book to share his long experiences, thoughts and actions as a university teacher and a politician. "Politicians of our country can hardly manage time to write books as they remain so busy with politics…I got some time while in jail and used it for writing the book. I did it (wrote the book) for the present and future generations. I strongly believe it’ll be useful to them.”

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday described the ‘unilateral’ announcement of the disputed results of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election by the pro-Awami League lawyers as a "terrible injustice". “The cadres of Awami League who usurped power broke the locked house at night in a terrorist manner and announced the results (of SCBA),” he said. Speaking at an Iftar party, he urged the lawyers to register a strong protest against the incident. Read: BNP conspiring to assassinate Hasina: Quader “Lawyers should have raised their voices as such a terrible injustice cannot be tolerated. Lawyers also should have gone to the chief justice and mobilised all lawyers across Bangladesh to protest against the incident. But it is very unfortunate that when fascism behaves in this way, it suppresses all protests,” Fakhrul bemoaned. BNP arranged the Iftar party in honour of professionals at Dhaka Ladies Club in the city’s Eskaton. Earlier on Wednesday night, the election of the Supreme Court Bar Association, that took place over a month ago, was announced after scuffles and chaos broke between ruling Awami League-backed lawyers and pro-BNP lawyers over the recounting of votes cast for the post of secretary, where the candidate from pro-BNP panel was leading. Fakhrul slammed the government for seeking India’s help to withdraw the US sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and said it is shameful for the country. “The foreign minister is openly seeking India’s help to have the sanctions on RAB lifted, but they didn’t talk (to India) they needed to speak on the Rohingya issue,” he observed. Read: Case filed against 2 for derogatory FB posts on mayor Taposh Referring to the recent clashes between Dhaka College students and traders in the New Market area that killed two people, Fakhrul said it was proved that Chhatra League was involved, but police filed cases against BNP leaders and activists. The BNP leader called upon the professionals to get united to oust the current regime and ensure the next election is held under a non-party neutral government. “The government has established a one-party system of government in a brutal manner. A pro-people government must be established removing the monstrous one,” he said.

Former law minister and valiant Freedom Fighter Abdul Matin Khasru passed away on Wednesday afternoon at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka. He was 72. His personal assistant Advocate Md Mohin said the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president breathed his last at 4:45pm. Khasru was put on life support on Tuesday as his condition deteriorated. He had been receiving treatment at the CMH since March 16, the day he tested positive for Covid-19. Towards the end of March, and right at the beginning of April, Khasru seemed on the road to recovery. He was out of the ICU, and a Covid-19 test result came out negative on April 1. But his physical condition started worsening after that, and on April 6, he had to be shifted back to the ICU. The freedom fighter is survived by his wife and two children. Born on February 12, 1950, Khasru was a five-time MP for Cumilla-5 (Brahmanpara-Burichang) constituency. He served as the law minister during the Awami League-led government of 1996-2001. He was elected president of SCBA on March 16 this year. ‘An irreparable loss’: PM leads tribute Tributes poured in for the valiant freedom fighter as the news of his death spread. Cabinet members, including Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Law Minister Anisul Huq, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Railways Minister M Nurul Islam Sujan and Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, expressed deep shock at the demise of the Awami League presidium member. In a condolence message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina described Khasru “as a learned lawyer and leader of the mass people” and said he would live forever in the heart of the people. “We lost a public leader and a solider of Bangabandhu’s ideology who worked skillfully in establishing justice through playing a responsible role as a lawyer in various nationally important cases including Bangabandhu murder case,” she said. She prayed for the eternal salvation of the departed soul and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family. Foreign Minister Momen said the nation has lost one of its most prominent lawyers. “The nation will forever commemorate the contribution of this five-time MP,” he said. Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh described Khasru as a “bright star” in the legal field. “He was an ideal lawyer [and] an exemplary leader for the lawyers. His death is an irreparable loss for the legal arena and the country,” Taposh said in a statement.

Former law minister Abdul Matin Khasru has been elected as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).

More than 2,000 Supreme Court lawyers have applied for interest-free loans offered by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).

The long-awaited election of traditional fan-based Dhaka Mohammedan SC will be held on April 18 this year.