Dhaka: A total of 707 Supreme Court lawyers have called for a boycott of the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, describing it as a “farce” and a “dangerous deviation” in Bangladesh’s democratic history. They said that boycotting the election is not an anti-state position; rather, it is a legitimate civic protest aimed at safeguarding the Constitution, democracy, and the sovereign rights of the people.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the lawyers said that the constitutional guarantees of citizens’ voting rights, freedom of expression, and political participation have effectively been rendered meaningless. Organising an election without ensuring the free, equal, and meaningful participation of all political parties, they said, amounts to a direct betrayal of the Constitution.
The statement noted that by effectively excluding several major and representative political parties—including the Bangladesh Awami League—from the electoral process, the exercise being conducted cannot be termed a genuine election. Instead, it is described as an “artificial arrangement” designed to legitimise an unlawful grip on power.
The lawyers alleged that public expression of opinion is being severely obstructed through intimidation, killings, repression, false cases, administrative control, and the one-sided use of state machinery. They further claimed that the interim government is not acting as a neutral administrator but rather as an active participant in the electoral process, raising serious concerns about the credibility of the election.
Serious concerns were also raised over the voter list. According to the lawyers, the voter roll has not been properly updated and includes fake and deceased voters, which severely undermines the transparency and credibility of the election. They also warned of potential manipulation and irregularities in the postal ballot system.
The statement added that proceeding with the election without conducting an independent and credible investigation into these allegations not only calls into question the neutrality of the Election Commission, but also contradicts the fundamental purpose of Article 118 of the Constitution.
In the concluding section, the lawyers stated: “Participation in the electoral process under these circumstances would amount to silent consent to an unjust and unconstitutional process. We reject violence, but we reject silence even more firmly.” The statement said the legal community has taken this stance with the objective of restoring democracy.
The statement bears the signatures of 707 Supreme Court lawyers.
