Bangladesh Supreme Court restores Jamaat's party registration, clears path to contest polls

Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Sunday ordered the Election Commission to restore the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami's party registration, nearly eight months after the interim govt lifted a ban on it, clearing the way for its participation in future elections.Court officials said the SC's appellate division, led by chief justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, directed the commission to restore the party's registration.The apex court said it was up to EC to decide if Jamaat could contest polls using its traditional "scale" symbol. EC scrapped the registration of Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladesh's 1971 independence from Pakistan, in Dec 2018 in line with a HC ruling. In 2013, SC cancelled the registration of the Jamaat-e-Islami, saying the party is unfit to contest national elections.Former PM Sheikh Hasina's govt slapped a total ban on the party days ahead of her ouster on Aug 5, 2024 in a violent mass movement led by a platform called Students against Discrimination (SAD).Jamaat and several other parties had backed SAD.After Hasina's ouster, the party appealed for a review of the 2013 court order banning it."Today concludes the decade-long legal battle. We hope Bangladesh will have a vibrant parliament after this verdict. We hope voters will vote for the Jamaat candidate of their choice now," one of Jamaat's leading counsels Mohammad Shishir Manir said.