One hundred and one lawyers of the Supreme Court today sent a letter to President Md Abdul Hamid, requesting him to constitute a Supreme Judicial Council to probe allegations of "financial corruption and gross misconduct" against chief election commissioner (CEC) and other election commissioners and to remove them from their posts.
In the letter, they urged the president against keeping KM Nurul Huda as CEC and asked for the responsibility of CEC to be given to an election commissioner during the enquiry.
In the letter, the lawyers cited the allegations against the CEC and election commissioners (ECs) which include misappropriating money from the budget allocated for training; irregularities in recruiting staffers; irregularities in purchasing electronic voting machines (EVM); using cars in violation of the relevant rules; inaction and failure to take action against the irregularities in different polls, incompetence in discharging constitutional duties and taking financial benefits as special speakers.
They also said that the present CEC and ECs have failed to perform their constitutional responsibilities and duties and have turned the EC into an organisation that benefits by misusing power and distributing money among themselves in unique ways.
They also said that the CEC and other ECs, accused of corruption and gross misconduct, need to be removed through an enquiry by forming the Supreme Judicial Council under Article 118(5) of the Constitution immediately.
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) comprises of the chief justice and two other senior judges of the Appellate Division to investigate the allegations against SC judges, the EC and other constitutional bodies, and recommend removal of individuals involved in the allegations.
The 101 lawyers, who signed the letter, include AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, a joint secretary general of BNP and a former secretary of Supreme Court Bar Association, former SCBA secretary Md Bodruddoza, SM Aminul Islam Sanu, Syeda Ashifa Ashrafi Papia, Taimur Alam Khondaker, Md Golam Mostafa, Md Zahirul Islam, Md Aktaruzzaman, Md Mujahidul Islam, Shihab Uddin Khan, Md Kamal Hossain and SM Zulfiqure Ali. Most of them are known as pro-BNP lawyers.
Shihab Uddin Khan said that 12 lawyers among the 101 signatories went to Bangabhaban, official residence of the president, this afternoon and handed over the letter to officials concerned on duty to place it before President Md Abdul Hamid.
Earlier on December 14 last year and January 17 this year, 42 eminent citizens sent two letters requesting the president to constitute the SJC to probe allegations of "financial corruption and gross election-related misconduct" against the EC.
In the letter sent on December 14, the citizens mentioned that members of the EC, under KM Nurul Huda's leadership, have committed misconduct and irregularities, including spending Tk two crore for delivering speeches as "special speakers" and Tk 8.08 crore in recruiting staffers for the Commission.
Three commissioners have also allegedly been using cars in violation of relevant rules.
The letter also said the EC has committed gross misconduct and irregularities in buying and using the electronic voting machines, and in holding the 11th parliamentary election, and also elections to Dhaka North and South city corporations, and Khulna, Gazipur, Sylhet, Barishal and Rajshahi city corporations.
