Bar Council Ad-Hoc Committee Formed Without Elections
Bangladesh Bar Council Building. File photo.
An ad-hoc committee of 15 members has been formed for the Bangladesh Bar Council, the regulatory and supervisory body for lawyers. Attorney General Md. Ruhul Quddus Kazal has been made its Chairman (ex-officio).
The other members of the council are—Senior Advocate Zainul Abedin, Barrister Md. Badruddoza Badal, Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukdar, Advocate Jasim Uddin Sarkar, Senior Advocate A.H.M. Mushfiqur Rahman Tuhin, Senior Advocate Ragib Rauf Chowdhury, Advocate Nasir Uddin Asim, Advocate Sarkar Tahmina Begum Sandhya, Advocate Mohammad Hossain Lipu, Senior Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir, Advocate Md. Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, Advocate Ali Asgar, Advocate Syed Nazrul Islam, and Senior Advocate Mahfuzur Rahman Milon.
The Law and Justice Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday. The notification stated that the ad-hoc Bar Council has been formed under the powers conferred by Clause 2 of Article 8 of the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order, 1972.
According to the notification, the ad-hoc Bar Council will serve for a term of one year, from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.
Meanwhile, a section of lawyers has protested the formation of the ad-hoc committee without elections. They allege that BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami-affiliated lawyers have taken control of the Bar Council through a deal.
It is learnt that the Bar Council election was scheduled to be held on May 19 of this year. However, in April, a decision was made to postpone the election citing oil crisis, following the onset of attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran. Although the war has since been paused, the Bar Council election has not been held.
Lawyers have said that Bar Council elections are held every three years. Voting takes place for 14 positions or seats. Among these, seven are elected from general seats, and seven are elected from regional lawyers' associations—one from each of the seven regions. The Vice-Chairman of the Bar Council is elected through votes cast by the 14 directly elected members. The Attorney General serves as the Chairman of the Council ex-officio. Since August 5, 2024, the Bar Council's activities have been conducted through an ad-hoc committee.
