Dhaka: A writ petition in Bangladesh seeking to ban the Awami League, led by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has been withdrawn. The petition was filed by leaders of the anti-discrimination students' movement, which played a significant role in ousting Hasina after her 15-year rule on August 5.
On Monday, these leaders approached the Dhaka High Court, requesting directives to prevent the Awami League and ten other parties from engaging in political activities. The three main coordinators of the movement—Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, and Hasibul Islam—decided not to continue with the petition, which also raised concerns about the legitimacy of the past three general elections in 2014, 2018, and 2024, where Hasina’s party secured power amid widespread allegations of electoral fraud and boycott by the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
During a hearing on Tuesday, the petitioners' lawyers informed the court that they would not pursue the writs. As a result, the high court bench, consisting of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Shikdar Mahmudur Raji, ordered the removal of the writs from the list.
The petition had not only targeted the Awami League but also included other political parties such as Jatiya Party (Ershad), Jatiya Party (Manju), Ganatantri Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist) (Barua), and Workers Party of Bangladesh.
In response, the LDP demanded an apology from the petitioners, while the CPB suggested they might have been mentioned by mistake. The Jatiya Party (Ershad) announced plans to address the issue legally.
The BNP, now a significant force in Bangladesh politics following Hasina's removal, opposed any ban on political parties, advocating for inclusiveness in the electoral process. Meanwhile, the interim government announced that it has not made any decisions about banning additional political parties, stating that only the Bangladesh Chhatra League, a pro-Awami student organization, has been banned so far.
During a rally on October 22 at Central Shaheed Minar, the students' movement outlined five key demands, including a ban on the Awami League and the removal of President Mohammad Shahabuddin. They also called for the abolition of the 1972 Constitution, which was established following Bangladesh’s Liberation War against Pakistan.
However, the BNP did not support the calls for the president’s removal or for scrapping the constitution, emphasizing the need to avoid a constitutional crisis and urging for general elections to be held as soon as possible.
An interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, took charge in Bangladesh on August 8, following Hasina's resignation and subsequent escape to India amid massive protests that resulted in over 1,000 fatalities since mid-July.
India-Bangladesh Border Talks Rescheduled: Focus Remains on Security