JaSoD rebels send legal notice to EC over polls logo

The rebel JaSoD faction has sent a legal notice to the Election Commission threatening legal steps if it does not revoke the decision to award the party’s ‘torch’ symbol to the Hasanul Haq Inu-led faction.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 April 2016, 04:22 PM
Updated : 24 April 2016, 04:22 PM
Lawyer Shahdeen Malik sent the notice to the EC on behalf of Sharif Nurul Ambia, Nazmul Haque Prodhan and the rebel committee’s Executive President Moin Uddin Khan Badal on Sunday, according to a media release.

Speaking to bdnews24.com later, Ambia said, “We’ve sent the legal notice. We’ve demanded cancellation of the EC decision on ‘torch’ as well.”

With its several factions still active under different names, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal or JaSoD suffered the latest schism on Mar 12 when Inu attempted to name Shirin Akhter as general secretary during the party’s national council.

Ambia, Prodhan and Badal formed another committee in protest at the move.

After hearing the two factions on the claim over the symbol on Apr 6, the EC on Apr 13 declared the Inu-led faction the mainstream JaSoD and awarded it the logo.

Now, 11 days after the announcement, the breakaway faction has sent the legal notice.

It has also asked the EC not to allot the symbol to any faction that has not followed proper legal process for registration as a political party.

The leaders of the two factions sat at JaSoD reserved seat MP Lutfa Taher’s house to discuss unification on Apr 21.

Asked why the notice was served even with the talks ongoing, Ambia said there was ‘no progress in the discussions’.

Their lawyer Malik said media reports suggested on Apr 13 that the EC was taking the decision to give the Inu-led faction the ‘torch’ symbol.

“But we guess the EC hasn’t taken any such decision. But if it has done so, it has been asked in the notice to scrap the decision. Otherwise, the High Court will be moved,” he said.