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Mainstream opposition challenged in the High Court the Chief Election Commissioner's "arbitrary action" in preparing a fresh voter list in defiance of objections raised by the election commissioners, reports UNB.
Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil MP filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) writ with the High Court Monday, seeking to halt the move, which has already gone far in the process of preparing the lists.
As planned, the Election Commission (EC) begins voter info collection at grassroots level from the first day of January with the target of publication of the final voter rolls on June 1, 2006.
The fresh electoral roll is being prepared ahead of the forthcoming general election under a caretaker government that is due to assume power in late October.
The petition is likely to be heard today (Tuesday) by a division bench comprising justices MA Matin and M Rezaul Haque, court sources told the news agency.
Waging a double-pronged legal battle, the AL lawmaker also challenged validity of the appointments of over 0.3 million staff like enumerators, supervisors, assistant registration officers and registration officers given by
the EC secretariat for the purpose of preparing the fresh electoral roll.
"The appointments have been given without consent of two of the three election commissioners," the petitioner was quoted having contended in the petition.
On the other hand, two other AL lawmakers--advocate Rahmat Ali and Asaduzzaman Noor-prepared to move a separate PIL writ today before the High Court during motion hours to bolster the opposition battle in the court alongside their street fights on election issues.
Sources close to the petitioners said they would challenge the CEC's "unlawful decision" to prepare a fresh electoral roll "in violation" of the Representation of the People Order and its rules, the Electoral Rolls Ordinance and its rules 1982.
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