Dhaka, September 01 — Jamaat-e-Islami has applied to the Election Commission of Bangladesh, seeking reinstatement of its appeal against a previous High Court decision that invalidated its registration. The party's Secretary General, Mia Golam Parwar, through his lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir, made the request on Sunday in the chamber court.

Shishir Monir stated that the chamber judge might forward the application to the full bench of the Appellate Division later this afternoon. He noted that if the appeal is reinstated, a full hearing based on merit will follow. Should the court allow the appeal after this hearing, Jamaat-e-Islami could regain its registration with the Election Commission, enabling it to participate in upcoming elections.

Jamaat-e-Islami's registration with the Election Commission was revoked by a court order. The issue dates back to 2009 when several political figures, including Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, the then Secretary General of the Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, Munsi Abdul Latif, the then Secretary General of the Zaker Party, and Maulana Ziaul Hasan, President of Sammilit Islami Jot, alongside 25 others, challenged the legality of Jamaat's registration.

On January 27, 2009, a High Court bench comprising Justice ABM Khairul Haque (later Chief Justice) and Justice Md. Abdul Hai issued a ruling questioning Jamaat's registration validity. In response, Jamaat-e-Islami made several amendments to its constitution in December 2009, July and November 2010, and October and November 2012, even changing the party's name from 'Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh' to 'Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.'

The rule's hearing concluded on June 12, 2013, and on August 1 of the same year, a larger High Court bench led by Justice M Moazzam Hossain, Justice M Inayetur Rahim, and Justice Kazi Reza-ul-Haq declared the Election Commission's registration of Jamaat-e-Islami invalid.

Jamaat-e-Islami subsequently filed an appeal, but on November 19 of the previous year, a five-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by then Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan, dismissed the appeal for 'default.' Jamaat's lawyer, Shishir Monir, argued that this dismissal occurred without a full hearing and expressed hope for a comprehensive hearing after the court reconvenes in October.

The outcome of Jamaat-e-Islami's application for reinstatement and any potential impact on its political participation remain to be seen.