The one-sided election of the Supreme Court Bar Association is likely to keep fueling the tension between the pro-Awami League and pro-BNP lawyers.

The pro-BNP lawyers, who did not cast votes, have already declared protest programmes and would continue their movement until their demand for a "fair SCBA election" is met.

At the same time, the pro-AL lawyers are getting ready to "politically and democratically resist any unrest or destabilising activities by pro-BNP lawyers on the Supreme Court premises".

The SCBA, the prime bar association of the country, which has been playing democratic and political roles since the anti-Ershad movement, witnessed the one-sided election for the first time amid police assault on journalists, lawyers, scuffles, violence and chaos on March 15 and 16.

Two separate criminal cases have already been filed against a number of pro-BNP lawyers following the incidents and one lawyer has been arrested.

In the election, the pro-Awami League lawyers' panel Bangabandhu Awami Ainjibi Parishad won all the 14 executive posts of the SCBA.

Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Ainjibi Forum (BJAF), the pro-BNP lawyers' body, will hold meetings at the district bar association premises across the country tomorrow in protest against police's entrance into SCBA premises, torturing lawyers and journalists, forcing candidates and agents of pro-BNP lawyers' panel to go out from the polling centres and filing "false cases" against lawyers.

Candidates of the pro-BNP lawyers' panel will hold a press conference at the SCBA premises at noon tomorrow.

On Monday, BJAF will stage a demonstration, bring out a procession and hold a meeting on the SC premises.

BNP Law Secretary and BJAF's Secretary General Kayser Kamal told The Daily Star that their movement will continue until a fair election is held for the SCBA.

He said, "The government is destabilising all the institutions of the country by finishing off democracy. There has been no democracy and no free and fair election at any level for the last few years. However, elections were held duly at all bar associations. Therefore, we have seen and observed that lawyers were able to cast their votes freely.

"Since supporters of this unelected government are not being elected, they have snatched away the election process and created a system where an election is no longer necessary. State mechanism, particularly, the police force is executing the decisions of pro-Awami League lawyers in the Supreme Court Bar Association election."

Lawyer Md Abdun Nur Dulal, a leader of pro-AL lawyers and incumbent and newly elected SCBA secretary, told this correspondent that they took preparation for holding a free, fair and credible election for the SCBA. But the pro-BNP lawyers intentionally and conspiringly did not participate in the election in order to make this election questionable and they have become successful in implementing their agenda, he said.

"They [pro-BNP lawyers' candidates] did not want to win in the SCBA election with malafide intentions. We will not sit idle if they try to make the court premises unstable... ," he said.

Contacted, senior lawyer of the SC Manzill Murshid said the SCBA is involved in politics and therefore, the impact of this bar's election will continue until the next parliamentary elections and even after the national elections.

Khurshid Alam Khan, another senior lawyer, said movements and counter-movements have been taking place for a long time on the SC premises centring the SCBA elections.

"Though pro-BNP lawyers did not boycott the SCBA election, they tried to resist the election. They did not succeed. Therefore, the SCBA election cannot be termed illegal. I cannot see any immediate solution to this crisis with the SCBA election and its impact may continue till the next parliamentary election," he added.