A case has been filed against 24 people, including three former Chief Election Commissioners, who served in the last three parliamentary elections, on charges of sedition, fraud and embezzlement. The accused are accused of violating the constitution by conducting a voteless election “through intimidation and repression.”BNP leader Salah Uddin Khan filed the case on June 22. The investigation officer of the case, SI Shamsuzzoha Sarkar of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, filed a petition in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Minhazur Rahman on Wednesday (June 25) to add sections 120 (a), 420 and 406 of the Penal Code, which the court granted.The case states that the EC, by failing to fulfill its constitutional duties in the 2014, 2018 and 2024 elections, has abused its power and deliberately excluded the opposition from the election process. The BNP has called all three elections opaque, questionable and devoid of voters.The accused include former Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, AKM Nurul Huda and Kazi Habibul Awal and their election commissioners. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was the head of government at the time, has also been named as an accused in the case. In addition, former Inspector General of Police Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, AKM Shahidul Haque, Javed Patwary, Benazir Ahmed and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, among other high-ranking police officials, are also involved.The case file states that the accused arrested opposition leaders and activists through intimidation and repression and kept them away from the elections, thus preventing the participation of anti-government candidates and fixing the election results in advance.In the 2014 elections, Awami League candidates won 153 seats unopposed. In the 2018 elections, there were allegations of ‘voting the night before the election’, which was known as the ‘night-of-night election’. In the 2024 elections, in the absence of the opposition, Awami League contested with allies and rebels, which was discussed as ‘I and the dummy’.The Awami League won all three elections and ruled the country for more than 15 years. However, on August 5, 2024, a student-led uprising led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.A High Court bench then ruled that the 15th Amendment to the Constitution was partially invalidated, paving the way for the return of a caretaker government. The ruling said that the Election Commission had broken public trust in three elections and undermined the impartiality of the Constitution.After the National Consensus Commission meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that a special committee will be formed to investigate those responsible for organizing the three elections. This was ordered by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.Meanwhile, former Chief Election Commissioner AKM Nurul Huda and Kazi Habibul Awal, one of the accused in the case, have already been arrested. As the next step in the case, law enforcement agencies have started interrogating the accused and collecting evidence.
Sedition charges added to case against three former EC members
