EC plans to form own lawyers’ panel

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The Election Commission (EC) is planning to form its own panel of lawyers comprising eminent jurists to defend the commission in courts of law when its activities and decisions on electoral affairs will be challenged.

“We don’t have our own lawyers. We depend on government lawyers whenever we need any legal services. So we are planning to make our own lawyers’ panel, like the Anti-Corruption Commission had formed,” Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain told reporters yesterday at his office.

He said the EC has already appointed eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain to defend the commission regarding the case of inviting the BNP to the talks with the EC about electoral reforms.

The EC had invited the Saifur-led BNP to the talks, scheduled on November 22, but the High Court stayed the talks following the writ petition filed by Khandaker Delwar Hossain-led BNP challenging EC’s decision.

The talks did not take place following the court’s stay order.

Explaining the EC decision, Election Commissioner Sakhawat said the EC has to depend on the Attorney General Office whenever it needs any legal aid.

“This time also, we communicated with the Attorney General Office for defending us on BNP issue. But they (Attorney General Office) told us that they are government lawyers and the commission is an independent body,” he added.

Senior officials in EC Secretariat said once the lawyers’ panel is formed, it would be helpful for the commission to defend it in the courts in future.

Asked whether the EC would be able complete the talks on electoral reforms within the timeframe of December and what it would do if the dialogue with BNP is not held, Sakhawat said that time would tell what to do.

On most of the political parties’ refusal to sit together with Jamaat-e-Islami at EC’s invitation on electoral reform talks, Sakhawat said the EC has yet to think about it.

The EC began electoral reform talks on September 12 and has sat with 15 political parties separately so far.

It has also planned to hold a daylong political conference on electoral reforms issue inviting all the parties, which had participated in the electoral reform talks earlier.

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