Vote counting in SCBA election halted ‘following altercation’
Vote counting in the two-day Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election was halted this morning following an altercation due to alleged interference from a group of outsiders on behalf of a candidate.
SCBA Chief Election Commissioner Senior Advocate Abul Khair confirmed the development to The Daily Star this morning.
The outsiders attacked some lawyers who were present at the polling centre in the SCBA auditorium as the votes were scheduled to be counted there.
A lawyer suffered injuries, and other lawyers including candidates and members of the election subcommittee left the SCBA premises amid a tense situation, SCBA sources said.
Meanwhile, SCBA CEC Abul Khair told The Daily Star that he declared Nahid Sultana Juthi elected as the secretary of the SCBA. Nahid Sultana Juthi contested the post as an independent candidate.
When asked about this, he said," You can understand under which situation I have declared a candidate elected. I am an old man having different diseases including diabetes and heart problems. Try to understand my situation."
He also said that he left the SCBA premises under police escort due to the unexpected situation, and that the ballot boxes have been given to the police.
The next course of decision will be taken after consulting with the members of the election subcommittee, and the legal wing of the SCBA under the relevant rules, he said.
SCBA sources said the SCBA election commission sorted out the ballots cast in the SCBA election till early in the morning today.
Most candidates and lawyers requested the election commission to count the votes later in the day as all of them had become tired. But Nahida and her followers put pressure on the EC to count the votes immediately and declare the election result.
At one stage, both groups locked into an altercation, forcing the election commission to refrain from counting the votes, according to the sources.
The two-day voting to elect the new leadership of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) ended yesterday afternoon.
Senior Advocates MK Rahman and Md Eunus Ali Akond were contesting as independent candidates for the post of SCBA president. Nahid Sultana Juthi and Farhad Uddin Ahmed Bhuiyan were contesting as independent candidates for the post of SCBA secretary.