Staff Correpsondent

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has deferred its elections by one month to April 28-29, in the face of a government ban order, a candidate for the SCBA president's chair said.

Khandakar Mahbub Hossain told bdnews24.com: "The SCBA president Amirul Islam signed an MoU with law adviser AF Hassan Ariff and attorney general Fida M Kamal."

"The MoU states that the elections will be held on April 28 and 29. The misunderstanding between the government and SCBA has been resolved."

AKM Abdul Hakim, a member of the SCBA election sub-committee, earlier told reporters they had shifted the scheduled polls from Monday morning to the afternoon in the face of the government embargo.

The elections were originally scheduled to begin at 10.00 am Monday morning. Following a morning meeting, SCBA president Amir Ul Islam, convenor Nizamul Haque Nasim and election candidates left to resolve the election stalemate through consultation with the government.

The government Sunday imposed a ban under emergency powers rules on the elections to the Supreme Court Bar Association, but lawyers vowed to press on as scheduled.

An order signed by Dhaka Metropolitan Police's additional deputy commissioner Shamsunnahar asked the association to refrain from holding the polls, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

The order, sent to the Supreme Court Bar Association secretary AM Aminuddin, said that no permission had been sought from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police for the elections, which the DMP said was necessary in line with emergency powers rules.

The SCBA rushed a meeting and its president barrister Amir-ul Islam said they would hold the elections on schedule. Announcing the decision on behalf of the lawyers, barrister Amir said the election committee would take the decision on how the polls would be held.

"There is no legal barrier to holding the elections. The government can obstruct assemblies, rallies and processions. But we are not holding an assembly or a rally."

"We will simply cast ballots wherever the election commission keeps the ballot box," he said. He urged chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda to observe the election process.

SCBA has arranged transparent ballot boxes to ensure transparency in the polls. Barrister Amir said the government should not do anything, which amounts to obstructing an independent judiciary. "Intervening in the independence of the Bar means interfering with the independence of the judiciary," he said.

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