Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman yesterday implored the High Court to reject the writ petition that sought its order on the government to ban Bangladesh Awami League as a political party and cancel its registration.

"The current interim government believes in the freedom of association that's enshrined in the constitution of Bangladesh and does not intend to ban any political parties.

"People involved in the previous authoritarian regime who are guilty of wrongdoings can be tried in court, but it's not right to ban any political party based on the actions of its members," AG Asadizzaman said.

He went on to say that the Awami League still has many good leaders and workers who believe in and practice party ideology.

The attorney general presented his arguments before the HC bench of Justices AKM Asaduzzaman and Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam during a hearing on the writ petition yesterday.

Following the hearing, the bench set September 1 as the date for issuing an order on the writ.

Arifur Rahman Murad Bhuiyan, executive director of Sarda Society, a rights organisation, filed the petition with the HC as a public interest litigation on August 19, seeking its order to ban AL as a political party and cancel its registration for the indiscriminate killing of students and general public during the anti-government movement.

In the petition, he implored the HC to pass an order fixing the tenure of the current interim government at three years, rename the institutions that were named after Sheikh Hasina, bring back Tk 11 lakh crores laundered abroad, and transfer officials who were appointed on contract during past regimes of the AL government.

During yesterday's hearing, Attorney General Asaduzzaman told the HC that the person who submitted the writ petition has no "locus standi" to file such a petition as his organisation's constitution does not allow him to do so.

He also said the writ petitioner did not include the Awami League as a party in the petition and did not serve any notice to AL prior to filing the writ.

He argued, therefore, the writ petition was unacceptable.

The attorney general then asked the HC to fine Arifur Rahman Murad Bhuiyan for submitting the petition and taking up the court's time unnecessarily.