Dhaka, Dec 14 (The New Age): The Jamaat-e-Islami has appealed to the Appellate Division challenging
the High Court verdict that had declared illegal and unconstitutional
the party’s registration with the Election Commission, said party
sources on Friday.
Jamaat filed appeal with the section concerned of
the Appellate Division on Thursday and sought again a stay on the
operation of the High Court verdict delivered on August 1.
On August
5, the Appellate Division vacation chamber judge, AHM Shamsuddin
Choudhury, had rejected Jamaat’s provisional appeal petition for staying
the High Court verdict.
On Thursday, Jamaat filed regular appeal
after getting certified copy of the High Court verdict, the full-text of
which was released on September 30, the party’s lawyer Belayet Hossain
told New Age.
He hoped that the election commission would make no
decision on cancellation of the Jamaat’s registration until disposal of
the appeal by the Appellate Division, as the High Court had certified
that the case involved a substantial question of law as to the
interpretation of the constitution.
The three-member special High
Court bench of Justice M Moazzam Husain, Justice M Enayetur Rahim and
Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque, by a majority view, declared illegal and
unconstitutional the registration of Jamaat as a political party.
The
High Court pronounced the verdict after hearing writ petitions filed on
January 25, 2009 by Bangladesh Tariqat Federation secretary general
Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, and 24 leaders of the federation, Zaker
Party and Sammilita Islami Jote.