A writ petition has been filed with the High Court on Wednesday challenging the legality of the ad hoc committee formed to run the Bangladesh Bar Council, seeking its suspension until elections are held and a directive to conduct the polls within 30 days.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Yunus Ali Akand filed the writ, naming the Law Secretary and other relevant authorities as respondents.
Speaking to reporters, Yunus Ali Akand said the last election to the Bangladesh Bar Council, whose members serve a three-year term, was held on 25 May 2022.
"Under the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order, the council's tenure expired on 1 July 2025. Instead of holding fresh elections, another ad hoc committee has been formed, which infringes upon the fundamental rights of lawyers. That is why I have filed the writ petition," he said.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs constituted a 15-member ad hoc committee to administer the Bangladesh Bar Council for one year, from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kajal will serve as the ex officio chairman.
The members are Senior Advocate Zainul Abedin, Barrister Md Badruddoza Badal, Masud Ahmed Talukder, AHM Mushfiqur Rahman Tuhin, Barrister Ragib Rauf Chowdhury, Nasir Uddin Asim, Sarkar Tahmina Begum Sandhya, Advocate Md Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, Advocate Ali Asgar, Advocate Syed Nazrul Islam and Senior Advocate Mahfuzur Rahman Milon, all of whom are widely known as BNP-backed lawyers.
The committee also includes Advocate Jasim Uddin Sarkar and Senior Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, both associated with Jamaat-e-Islami, and Mohammad Hossain Lipu, affiliated with the NCP.
The Law and Justice Division issued a gazette notification on Tuesday constituting the committee under Article 4(2) of the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order, 1972.
The Bangladesh Bar Council election had originally been scheduled for 19 May. However, on 16 April, it was postponed, with the authorities citing concerns over a global fuel crisis arising from the Iran-US conflict.
At the time, Jamaat-e-Islami and the NCP, then part of the opposition alliance, strongly criticised the decision.
The announcement of the ad hoc committee came about two and a half months later.
Unlike the earlier postponement, the latest government notification does not cite any reason for not holding the election, although it includes lawyers backed by both Jamaat and the NCP among the 14 nominated members.