SCBA election: 1,771 of 11,097 voters cast ballots on day one

So far, 1,771 out of total 11,097 lawyers cast their votes on the first day of the two-day Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election today.

The polling to elect 14 executives of SCBA started at 10:00am and continued till 5:00pm today with a one-hour lunch break amid the exclusion of lawyers perceived as aligned with the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned.

The voting will resume tomorrow at the same time and the result is likely to be announced at midnight, SCBA’s Administrative Officer Md Rabiul Hassan told The Daily Star.

This year’s poll is taking place after a gap of more than two years and follows the disqualification of 42 candidates alleged to have links with Awami League.

On May 3, the SCBA election commission finalised a list of 40 candidates, most of whom are backed by BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP, after rejecting the nominations of the 42 lawyers.

Among the 40 finalised candidates, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Abdul Baten and Md Eunus Ali Akond are contesting for the post of president while Md Abdul Haque, Md Magfur Rahman Shaikh, Md Shahjahan and Moinuddin Farooqi for two posts of vice-president.

The last SCBA election, held in March 2024, was closely contested, with pro-BNP lawyers winning four key posts including the presidency, while AL-backed candidates secured 10 positions, including the secretaryship.