Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury has described the allegations of indiscipline and serious financial misconduct brought by 42 distinguished citizens against the election commission as intentional and baseless.
The citizens in a recent letter to President Abdul Hamid urged the head of the state to investigate complaints reports bdnews24.com.
Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury, retired Secretary and former caretaker government adviser Akbar Ali Khan and retired civil servant Hafizuddin Khan were among those who signed the letter.
“Maybe it’s (letter) intentional and I don’t think any of these (allegations) have any basis. It was not thoughtful of the distinguished citizens to raise such an issue,” Shahadat told reporters at his office on Sunday.
“And what’s most painful is that they have accused us (commissioners) as well in the allegations presented to the president, and recommended the punishment we deserve,” he said.
The letter recommends the formation of a Supreme Judicial Council to investigate the complaints against the EC under Article 96 of the Constitution.
But Shahadat made it clear that the views were of his own, not the commission’s.
He declined to comment further on the grounds that it was the president who would decide on the matter.