The Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association has decided to prohibit pro-Awami League lawyers from participating in the upcoming annual elections set for May 13 and 14, 2026, due to legal restrictions on the party’s activities. This decision was made during an extraordinary general meeting of SCBA members in Dhaka, chaired by SCBA Senior Vice President Humayun Kabir Manju, a supporter of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), with around 300 lawyers in attendance.
According to reports from The Daily Star, most attendees at the meeting were backers of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. The SCBA Secretary, Barrister Md Mahfuzur Rahman Milon, revealed that the decision to bar pro-Awami League lawyers from contesting the election was based on the request of around 100 members and the subsequent opinion of general members. Lawyers associated with groups supported by the Awami League will not be allowed to run for SCBA positions, but they can contest independently.
The upcoming May 13-14 election aims to elect office bearers for 14 executive posts of the SCBA, including president and secretary, for a one-year term. Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) recently criticized the alleged discrimination against legal professionals in Bangladesh and the cancellation of pro-Awami League lawyers’ candidatures in bar association elections. JMBF urged for a fair environment where lawyers of all beliefs can exercise their democratic rights.
