Ex-Bangladesh Election Chief KM Nurul Huda Placed on Four-Day Remand

Court Orders Interrogation in Case Over Alleged Irregularities in 2014, 2018, and 2024 Elections

Dhaka : A Dhaka court has placed former Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on a four-day remand for police interrogation in connection with a case filed over alleged irregularities and bias during Bangladesh’s last three parliamentary elections.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman passed the remand order after Huda was produced before the court by police, who had sought a 10-day remand for questioning. The hearing took place amid heavy security, with Huda arriving in the courtroom at 4:10 PM. Calm and smiling, he stood in the dock as officials removed his helmet and handcuffs.

The magistrate entered at 4:17 PM, and the proceedings began soon after. Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi argued in favour of the remand, while Huda appeared visibly disturbed during the session.

Huda’s defence counsel contested the remand plea, claiming that all charges mentioned fall under bailable sections of the Penal Code. The lawyer also argued that the case had legal inconsistencies and warned that placing Huda on remand under such circumstances would go against the principles of justice.

At 4:55 PM, Nurul Huda addressed the court directly. He defended the conduct of the national elections held during his tenure, stating, “About 15 to 17 lakh people were involved in managing the elections. It is impossible to monitor every remote region from Dhaka.”

Huda was arrested the previous day after being physically assaulted by a mob at his residence in Uttara. His detention followed the filing of a case earlier in the day by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.

The case, filed by the BNP, names three former Chief Election Commissioners—Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, KM Nurul Huda, and Kazi Habibul Awal—alongside ten former election commissioners and eleven others. The allegations pertain to their supposed roles in manipulating the national elections held in 2014, 2018, and 2024.

According to the BNP, the accused individuals orchestrated large-scale electoral irregularities, including false cases, abductions, threats, and voter intimidation, particularly targeting BNP leaders and supporters to prevent their participation in the democratic process.

In addition to election officials, the case also names prominent political and security figures, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former top police and intelligence officials. Among them are former Inspectors General of Police Hasan Mahmud Khandker, Javed Patwary, and Shahidul Haque; ex-Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed; and former Special Branch and intelligence heads Monirul Islam and others.

The BNP delegation, led by executive committee member Salah Uddin Khan, submitted a copy of the case application to the current Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.

The legal battle is expected to intensify in the coming days as opposition forces push for accountability over what they call systemic rigging and institutional bias in recent electoral history.