Court Correspondent

The High Court (HC) on Tuesday paused a public notification issued by the Election Commission (EC) asking political parties to apply for registration by 20 April.

The court also asked chief election commissioner, EC secretary and the commission on EC reforms to explain why the 10 March notification will not be declared illegal and subsequently scrapped as it is based on regulations that contradict the constitution.

The HC bench of Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja issued the ruling in this regard, in response to a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Hasnat Kayyum on Monday.

The EC regulations were introduced under the 2006-08 military-backed caretaker government, and were further toughened during the Awami League rule, requiring new parties to have committees in 21 districts and 100 upazilas or metropolitan thanas.

The regulations make it all but impossible for new parties to get registered and contest in polls. They are in conflict with the spirit of the constitution, Advocate Abeda Gulrekh told reporters on the High Court premises on Tuesday.

Abeda represented the writ petitioner during Monday’s hearing.

The Prof Yunus-led interim government has formed an Electoral Reform Commission to recommended corrections in the country’s election system. The commission has recommended amending the regulations for easing new party registration, but the Election Commission has issued registration deadline even before the necessary corrections can be adopted, Abeda told reporters.