Court bars JaPa chief GM Quader from party activities

Staff Reporter :

A Dhaka court has temporarily barred Jatiyo Party (JaPa) Chairman GM Quader from carrying out any organisational activities within the party, in a major development that underscores the deepening rift within the party’s leadership.

Judge Md Nurul Islam of Dhaka’s First Joint District Judge Court issued the interim injunction on Wednesday after a hearing on a petition filed by 10 senior party leaders who were recently expelled.

The court also imposed the same restriction on JaPa’s Joint Office Secretary Mahmud Alam.
Confirming the order, Bench Assistant Sakhawat Hossain said the injunction effectively suspends GM Quader’s authority to make organisational decisions while the case is under trial. It also immediately reinstates the positions and primary memberships of the 10 expelled leaders.

The reinstated leaders include Senior Co-Chairmen Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud and ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader, Secretary General Md Mujibul Haque Chunnu, Deputy Office Secretary-2 MA Razzak Khan, and Presidium Members Solaiman Alam Seth (Chattogram), Nazma Akter (Feni), Md Zahirul Islam Zahir (Tangail), Mostafa Al Mahmud (Jamalpur), Jasim Uddin (Netrokona), and Arifur Rahman Khan (Gazipur).

The court order further restricts the use of Section 20(1)(A) of the JaPa Constitution during the trial and instructs that the party’s organisational work should proceed based on seniority and existing hierarchy.

Speaking to reporters, the plaintiffs’ lawyer Abdul Bari said, “The court has temporarily restrained GM Quader from exercising any organisational powers until the case is resolved. It has also restored all positions and memberships of those who were expelled.”

According to the case documents, the dispute dates back to 2019 when, in alleged violation of the party’s constitution, then Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga announced GM Quader as the new chairman on 18 July.

Later that year, on 28 December, Quader organised a party council and conference where a new constitution was reportedly approved without due process.

The feud escalated in June this year when GM Quader dismissed the 10 presidium members, stripping them of all party roles and primary memberships.

Their names were subsequently removed from JaPa’s official website. In response, the expelled leaders filed the case on 10 July challenging Quader’s authority and seeking redress.

The court’s order is seen as a significant setback for GM Quader as he faces mounting challenges to his leadership from within the party’s top ranks.

The case is expected to be heard in full in the coming weeks, with the court’s temporary orders remaining in place until a final verdict is delivered.