Registration with EC: Jamaat likely to move application before SC on Sunday

Jamaat-e-Islami is likely to move an application before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday seeking restoration of an appeal challenging a High Court verdict that scrapped its registration with the Election Commission as a political party.

"We will move an application before the judge-in-chamber of the apex court on Sunday to revive the appeal. The chamber judge may send the application to the full bench of the Appellate Division," Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, a counsel for Jamaat-e-Islami, told The Daily Star today.

"If Appellate Division restores the appeal, a complete hearing will be held before it on merit of the appeal. If this court allows the appeal after hearing on it, Jamaat-e-Islami will get back its registration with the Election Commission and will participate in the elections," said Advocate Manir.

The Appellate Division has earlier dismissed the appeal of Jamaat-e-Islami against the High Court without holding a complete hearing, he said.

The lawyer said a full hearing of the appeal may be held after the reopening of the court in October.

Both the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the SC will go into an annual vacation on September 6 and reopen on October 20.

On November 19, last year, a five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by the then chief justice Obaidul Hassan dismissed the appeal of Jamaat-e-Islami for "default" as its counsels did not appear before the court on that day.

Jamaat had filed the appeal against the HC verdict that on August 1, 2013, scrapped its registration with the EC.