The High Court has out off the holding of Bar Council elections following objections over the voters’ list and the polling procedure. The bench of Justices Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman gave the order on Thursday after hearing two petitions on the matter. It also issued a rule over the pleas filed by lawyer Yunus Ali Akhand. The polls for the lawyers’ regulatory body were scheduled for May 27. It had been shifted from May 20 after the voters’ list encountered objections. The schedule for the Bar Council elections were announced on Mar 25 and an initial electoral role comprising 48,465 voters was published on Apr 9. Five elected members of the council and another 101 lawyers wrote to the chairman and the secretary, claiming the voters’ list was ‘vague’ with repetition of names. The petition filed by Akhand said that the rules stipulate the publication of the final voters’ list 30 days before the polls but the clause had not been complied with in this case. The Bar Council polls elect a total of 14 members. Of them, seven are elected through votes of registered lawyers and each of the rest by the seven regional Bar Associations across the country. These 14 members vote to elect a vice-chairman. The attorney general acts as the Bar Council’s chairman as per the regulations.—bdnews24.com
