Jamaat expels Nazrul; what does the constitution say about his MP seat?

In an emergency meeting of the party's central executive committee held on Wednesday (July 22), Jamaat decided to expel Gazi Nazrul Islam under Article 62 of the party constitution, citing that organizational investigations proved allegations of moral turpitude against him. The party also said it would inform the Bangladesh Election Commission of this decision.

However, according to legal experts, expulsion from a political party does not automatically result in the loss of parliamentary membership.

According to Article 70 of the Bangladesh Constitution, if a person elected on a party's ticket resigns from that party or votes against the party in parliament, his or her seat becomes vacant. However, expulsion from the party is not mentioned as a reason for vacating the parliamentary seat under this article.

Experts say that while party expulsion is an organizational measure, it is not a basis for canceling parliamentary membership under Article 70 of the constitution.

However, according to Article 66 of the constitution, a person may lose eligibility to be a member of parliament if convicted by a court for a criminal offense involving moral turpitude and sentenced to at least two years of imprisonment, and if five years have not passed since their release.

Meanwhile, although Jamaat mentioned moral turpitude in its expulsion decision against Gazi Nazrul Islam, no criminal case has been filed or court verdict issued against him on this matter so far. Therefore, legal experts believe there is no scope to cancel his parliamentary membership solely based on the party's decision.

Controversy over the video

From Monday (July 20) night, multiple videos of Gazi Nazrul Islam's personal moments spread on social media. The release of the videos sparked widespread discussion and criticism across the country.

Gazi Nazrul Islam has claimed the young woman in the video is his second wife. His first wife, Maksuda Begum, and the young woman's father, Masum Billah, have also acknowledged their marital relationship.

Gazi Nazrul claims that on July 13, while at his second wife's father's office in Mogbazar, Dhaka, his driver Obaidullah and several individuals allegedly held them hostage and demanded ransom. He said they later spread secretly recorded CCTV footage on social media in an attempt to socially defame him.

However, a new controversy has arisen surrounding a biodata of Mariam Khatun amid his marriage claim. It shows her marital status as 'Unmarried' even five days after the claimed marriage date. No explanation has been provided by Gazi Nazrul or his family regarding this matter so far.

Local protests

Following the video incident, a human chain, protest march, and rally were held in Shyamnagar on Wednesday. Organized under the banner of 'Shyamnagar Conscious Civil Society,' the program declared Gazi Nazrul Islam persona non grata in the upazila and demanded the cancellation of his parliamentary membership, along with an impartial investigation and legal action regarding the allegations.

In addition, protest programs against him have been held in various other parts of the country.