A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking a stay on all activities related to the 13th National Parliamentary Election, scheduled for 12 February, until looted firearms and ammunition are fully recovered.
The petition was submitted on Wednesday by Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan.
The petition names as respondents the Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary, Secretary of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Secretary of the Election Commission, Inspector General of Police, and Director General of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
According to the petition, media reports indicate that during the 2024 mass uprising, 5,750 firearms and 6,51,609 rounds of ammunition were looted from police stations and offices of law enforcement agencies across the country.
Despite government announcements of rewards for recovery, a significant portion of the weapons remains unaccounted for.
The fatal shooting of Dhaka-8 parliamentary prospective candidate Sharif Osman Hadi highlights the potential danger.
Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah has also emphasised that recovering looted arms is essential before holding elections.
Lawyer Mahmudul Hasan noted that while security arrangements have been made for some candidates, no effective measures have been taken to ensure the safety of general voters.
Holding the election without recovering the looted weapons would, he argued, violate Article 32 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life.
The petition calls on the court to suspend the upcoming election until all looted firearms and ammunition are recovered and a secure environment for voting is ensured.
Earlier, on 14 December, 2025, Mahmudul Hasan sent a legal notice to the relevant officials warning that failure to act within seven days would lead to a public interest writ in the High Court.
