By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday reinstated the registration of the opposition Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party, overturning a decade-old High Court ruling and clearing the way for the party to contest in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The decision was handed down by a four-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, who directed the Election Commission (EC) to immediately restore the party’s registration and resolve related pending issues, including the allocation of its election symbol.

Jamaat lost its registration in 2013 under a court ruling issued during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hasina, who was ousted in a popular uprising last year and fled to India, had also issued an executive order banning the party in August 2023.

However, the transitional government led by Muhammad Yunus, which took office after Hasina’s departure, dismissed the executive ban, paving the way for legal restoration efforts.

“With the verdict, a multiparty democracy and inclusive election has been acknowledged,” said Jamaat’s lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir, speaking to reporters outside the court. He said the previous High Court order was politically motivated and that the justice has been served with Sunday's ruling.

The ruling marks the end of a lengthy legal battle and enables Jamaat-e-Islami to participate in the country’s 13th parliamentary elections, scheduled in the coming months.