SCBA Polls: Vote count underway, results today

The counting of votes for the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections has started at 2:00pm on Saturday (March 9).

After a two-day election, the counting of votes was suspended on Friday morning due to commotion and scuffles surrounding the counting of votes. The members of the Election Management Committee then decided to count the votes on Saturday.

After the counting of votes, the election results will also be announced today, said the Election Management Committee.

5 lawyers arrested in case over SCBA poll scuffle: DB
Meanwhile, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has arrested five lawyers who were named in a case filed by Assistant Attorney General Md Saifur Rahman Siddiqui as the plaintiff with Shahbag police station over the ruckus and scuffle during the counting of votes, said DB chief Harun-or-Rashid on Saturday (March 9) noon while talking to reporters at DB office at Mintu Road in the capital.

The attempt to murder case was filed against 20 people, including independent secretary candidate Advocate Nahid Sultana Juthi and secretary candidate of BNP’s panel, Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal.

On Friday morning, a scuffle erupted between two groups of lawyers over the counting of votes. A tense situation prevailed inside the Supreme Court premises at that time regarding this incident. Uncertainty also arose over the announcement of election results.

Some lawyers who witnessed the incident said the vote selection process ended around 3:00pm on Thursday. Since then, secretary candidate Nahid Sultana from the independent panel and candidates from the BNP panel spoke in favour of counting the votes at night. They asked the Election Commission to count the votes and announce the results right that moment, triggering a clash between lawyers of BNP and Awami League panels on Friday morning.

Some lawyers were injured in the clash. At that time, an assistant attorney general was beaten up, a video clip of which went viral on social media, said the witnesses.