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Published : 26 Jun 2025, 06:19 PM
Former chief election commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal has said fair elections in Bangladesh would remain impossible “even after a thousand years” without fundamental reforms.
He made the remarks during a remand hearing on Thursday at the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrates' Court, where the prosecution sought 10 days for questioning him in a case involving charges including sedition.
The hearing began around 1:25pm after Awal was brought to the court under police custody. Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi represented the state and argued in favour of the remand application.
Faruqi criticised Awal for presiding over the Jan 7, 2024, elections, which were widely condemned as sham polls that excluded major opposition parties like BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
The prosecutor accused Awal of facilitating the ruling Awami League’s grip on power by ignoring opposition protests, denying fair voting rights and going into hiding after the election, before his arrest at his Moghbazar residence.
He also highlighted inconsistencies in Awal’s public statements on voter turnout during the election day and condemned his alleged failure to uphold responsibility as chief election commissioner.
Awal’s lawyer, Emil Hasan Romel, moved to quash the remand and sought bail, citing his client’s age -- over 70 years -- and poor health.
During his brief court statement, Awal acknowledged the election had been a sham and mockery but denied allegations of wrongdoing.
The magistrate questioned Awal about inquiry committees established during the election, noting significant increases in allowances and asking if voters had been properly surveyed by these committees.
Awal explained that returning officers and assistant returning officers managed election duties on the ground.
When asked why he did not resign upon knowing the election’s flaws, Awal replied that resignation was not an option, adding that if warned beforehand, he would never have taken the job.
Awal also cited historical electoral controversies and political struggles in Bangladesh to justify the challenges faced during his tenure.
Tensions rose in the courtroom when the prosecutor accused Awal of justifying wrongdoing, and Awal responded with a sharp retort, causing a heated exchange.
He further claimed the election commission lacked the power to conduct free polls without deep reforms, emphasising that without fundamental changes, free elections would remain impossible.
After a half-hour hearing, the court approved the prosecution’s request and granted Awal a three-day remand.
Awal was arrested three days after the BNP named him in a case filed over election manipulation. Earlier, another former CEC, KM Nurul Huda, was also arrested and remanded in connection with the same case.
The case was filed on Jun 22 by Salahuddin Khan, BNP’s national executive committee member and coordinator for cases involving enforced disappearances and killings.
The charges implicate Awal and other former CECs for alleged election rigging, intimidation, abduction, and illegal arrests of BNP members during the 2014, 2018, and 2024 elections.
Alongside them, deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and several senior police officials have also been accused.
The case alleges that during these elections, opposition parties were systematically excluded through fake cases, enforced disappearances, and voter intimidation, severely undermining the democratic process.
The prosecution added charges under sections including sedition, fraud, and embezzlement after the court approved the additions following a hearing by Magistrate Minhazur Rahman.
