Dhaka Bureau: The Chief Election Commissioner has asked the Chief Justice for 300 judges to perform duties as judicial magistrates after the announcement of the details of the National Assembly elections. CEC Kazi Habibul Awal sought cooperation with Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan on Wednesday (September 1). The meeting was held in the chief justice’s private room at the Supreme Court office.
According to sources, the Chief Justice advised the CEC to send the proposal through the Law Ministry.
After the hour-long meeting, CEC Habibul Awal told reporters, “We came to have a courtesy meeting with the Chief Justice.” I officially congratulated him after his appointment as Chief Justice. I discussed only one thing with that. That is, the judges perform the duties of the Electoral Inquiry Committee in the National Assembly elections. The court will be in recess next December. I have informed the Chief Justice that the judicial magistrates of the subordinate courts can perform their duties at that time. He has assured us that he will take the matter into consideration.” The CEC said the Chief Justice gave them ample time and exchanged courtesies.
The Electoral Inquiry Committee monitors the electoral code of conduct from the time the list is announced until the gazette at the end of the election. The Election Commission takes the necessary steps as per the recommendations of this committee. Senior Assistant Judges and Joint District Judges across the country served on that committee. CEC said, ‘I have informed the Chief Justice, so that they (judges) perform their duties in December. And in the month of January, he will perform his duties as before. When asked if there was any talk about reconciliation between the political parties, the CEC said that there was no such discussion.
CEC Kazi Habibul Awal went to the Supreme Court at 2:40 PM along with the Election Commissioners. He was accompanied by Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Md. Ahsan Habib Khan, Rasheda Sultana, Md. Alamgir, Md. Anishur Rahman, Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam, and Joint Secretary (Law) Md. Mahbubar Rahman. Officials of the office of the Registrar General of the Supreme Court were present in the meeting.
122 Electoral Inquiry Committees were formed in the 2018 elections. These committees are made up of lower court judges.
