In a one-sided election marked by scuffles, chaos, police highhandedness, and ruckus raised by lawyers, the pro-Awami League lawyers have won all posts of the Supreme Court Bar Association.  

Pro-BNP lawyers who didn't cast their votes demonstrated on the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) office premises yesterday, the second day of the two-day polls, demanding cancellation of what they said was a "farce of an election".

Pro-Awami League and pro-BNP lawyers shoved each other and engaged in scuffles during the demonstrations around 12:30pm and 4:00pm.

The pro-BNP lawyers demanded that a new date be fixed for holding the polls in a fair manner under an "acceptable" election-conducting committee.

Pro-AL lawyers' panel Bangabandhu Awami Ainjibi Parishad won all the 14 posts of the executive committee with incumbent President Md Momtaz Uddin Fakir and incumbent Secretary Abdun Nur Dulal getting reelected, said Rabiul Hassan, administration officer of the SCBA.

The signs that there would be chaos during the election were obvious: The pro-Awami League and pro-BNP camps formed two separate subcommittees to hold the election in what senior lawyers said was an unprecedented incident in the history of SCBA.

After the formation of the two committees by the two opposing camps, Supreme Court's Senior lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan on February 26 warned of chaos during the election.

"I have never seen more than one election sub-committee to conduct SCBA elections. Leaders from the two groups should immediately settle the dispute through discussion," he told The Daily Star then.

SCBA Secretary Md Abdun Nur Dulal who was elected from the pro-AL Bangabandhu Awami Ainjibi Parishad last year, issued a notice on February 23 forming a seven-member election subcommittee led by Shah Md Khasruzzaman.

On the same day, SCBA Senior Assistant Secretary Mahfuz Bin Yousuf, who was elected from the pro-BNP Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Oikya Panel last year, issued a separate circular forming another seven-member subcommittee led by AZM Fariduzzaman Farhad to conduct the election.

Amid controversies over the formation of two separate committees, both the camps reached a settlement, making senior lawyer and former justice Md Munsurul Hoque Chowdhury the head of a election conducting sub-committee.

But Munsurul resigned from the post citing personal reasons on March 13.

Later, the AL-backed SCBA members formed another sub-committee led by Moniruzzaman while the pro-BNP lawyers formed another committee led by ASM Moktar Kabir.

Pro-BNP lawyers then started demanding formation of a committee under someone who is "acceptable" to all.

Meanwhile, Wednesday's police assault on journalists and pro-BNP lawyers on Supreme Court premises was widely criticised with many raising questions about the sanctity of the apex judicial body.

Lawyer ZI Khan Panna said, "I have never seen police enter the Supreme Court and attack people, not even during the military regime. I am ashamed of it. I don't know why we reached such a state."

A total of 4,137 lawyers cast their votes in the election conducted by the Moniruzzaman-led subcommittee formed by the pro-AL faction of the SCBA. The number of voters in the association is 8,589.

The 12 other winning candidates are Mohammad Ali Azam and Jasmine Sultana (vice presidents); Masud Alsm Chowdhury (Treasurer); Noor-Alam-Uzzal and Harunur Rashid (assistant secretaries); and Safayet Hossain Sajib, Mohiuddin Rudro, Shafique Raihan Sawon, Suvash Chandra Das, Nazmul Hossain Swapan, Delwar Hossain and Moniruzzaman Rana (executive members).

"I have never seen police enter the Supreme Court and attack people, not even during the military regime. I am ashamed of it. I don't know why we reached such a state."

— -- ZI Khan Panna

Yesterday, a large number of police were deployed on the Supreme Court premises.

Some lawyers formed a human chain in front of the SCBA office in protest of the assault on lawyers by the police.

Meanwhile, on the ground floor of the SCBA building, three to four lawyers, including Amatul Karim Swapna and Aynunnahar Siddiqua Lipi, engaged in a heated argument with some pro-AL lawyers over the presence of so many law enforcers. Attorney General AM Amin Uddin was seen trying to stop the fight.

Contacted, Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said around 500 police personnel were deployed on the instruction of higher authorities

Snatching of ballot papers and scuffles took place the night before the election day, he added.

Before resigning from the post of convenor of the subcommittee citing personal reasons, Munsurul on March 11 wrote to the DMP requesting deployment of an adequate number of law enforcers on the SCBA premises during the election.

There is no necessity for taking permission from the SC administration for deploying police at the SCBA, said the deputy commissioner.

A lawyer named Salahuddin Rigan was arrested on charges of stealing ballot papers and assaulting lawyers on Wednesday, he said.

Yesterday, SC Registrar General Md Golam Rabbani told this correspondent that after learning about the deployment on Wednesday morning, he instructed the police not to take any action unless someone's life and properties were at risk.

DMP REGRETS

DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq yesterday expressed regret over the assault on journalists while Detective Branch chief Muhammad Harun Or Rashid said the attacks were unintentional.

Police will work to prevent such incidents in future, said Harun.

Pro-BNP lawyers met Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique and informed him what had happened on Wednesday. The chief justice was presiding over an eight-member full bench of the Appellate Division at the time.

In the morning, former attorney general AJ Mohammad Ali, a leader of the pro-BNP group, told the bench that "an unprecedented incident took place on the Supreme Court premises on Wednesday. It is still going on. Even today, there are police stationed in front of many of the lawyers' rooms."

Another pro-BNP lawyer Ruhul Quddus Kazal said, "I was attacked and my robe was torn. Today, I borrowed a robe and put it on. Thousands of police have been deployed. Lawyers were beaten up by the police and thrown out of the polling station. Why can't I be present at the polling station?"

Lawyer Mahbub Uddin Khokon said, "Police were kicking us. I am not able to stand properly because of the pain. Many lawyers and journalists were injured."

The chief justice then asked the pro-BNP lawyers to meet him at his office after court hours. The lawyers met the chief justice at his office and requested him to take measures over the incidents.

The chief justice told the lawyers that he would talk to Attorney General AM Amin Uddin.

Later in the day, Amin Uddin told reporters at his office that the chief justice has nothing to do with the situation that unfolded over the SCBA election.

Ain O Salish Kendra, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust and several other organisations yesterday condemned the police assault on lawyers and journalists and demanded investigations.