DHAKA, June 29 (V7N)– Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal was sent to jail by a Dhaka court on Sunday in connection with a case alleging irregularities, including sedition, related to the conduct of past national elections. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhan Ishtiak issued the order after rejecting Awal's bail petition.

This development follows Awal's three-day remand, which concluded on Sunday. Investigating officer Syed Sajedur Rahman of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) produced Awal before the court upon the completion of his remand period. Awal had initially been placed on the three-day remand by a Dhaka court on June 26, after his arrest by a team of Detective Branch (DB) police from the Moghbazar area on June 25.

The case was filed by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on June 22, at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station. It accuses 24 individuals, including former CECs, election commissioners, and other officials, of alleged involvement in conducting the 10th, 11th, and 12th national elections during the Awami League's tenure without fulfilling their constitutional roles. Sedition charges were later added to the case.

Specifically, the BNP alleges "ballot-stuffing overnight hours before the voting" in the 11th election, held in December 2018 under CEC KM Nurul Huda. Nurul Huda was also arrested on June 22 from the Uttara area of Dhaka in connection with the same case. The 12th election, held in 2024 and overseen by CEC Kazi Habibul Awal, was boycotted and rejected by the BNP as a "dummy election." Notably, Awal himself had previously described the 2024 polling as a "dummy election."

The arrests and legal proceedings come after Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus earlier this month instructed authorities to form a committee to investigate the roles of all individuals involved in conducting these three national elections, signaling a broad probe into past electoral integrity.

END/MSS/RH/