High Court Halts Upcoming e-CAB Election Amid Legal Dispute

The High Court has issued a stay order on the upcoming executive committee election of the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (E-CAB) for the 2025–27 term, which was scheduled to be held on July 26. The order was passed on Tuesday, July 22, by the bench of Justice Habibul Gani and Justice Sheikh Thashim Ali, according to Advocate A.K.M. Khalil Ullah (Qasem), who represented the petitioner in court along with Advocate Tarikul Islam.

Despite the court’s directive, the E-CAB Election Commission has yet to receive a written copy of the order. Sources indicate that the official copy of the verdict is expected by Thursday. In the meantime, the commission has already finalized the venue for voting due to the pending status of the formal order.

Election preparations were in full swing, with a strong electoral atmosphere felt among most candidates and voters. Sources within E-CAB suggest that a large number of members are leaning toward holding the election promptly in order to overcome organizational stagnation and restore elected leadership to the trade body.

Commenting on the stay, Advocate Khalil Ullah told DigiBanglaTech.News, "The court has not yet completed writing the full verdict. We expect to receive the copy by Thursday."

He further argued, "We contended that the Ministry does not have the authority to form an appeal board for the election — that jurisdiction lies with the administrator. The court agreed with our logic and granted the stay."

Earlier, on July 20, the administrator of E-CAB and Deputy Secretary of the Central Digital Cell under the Ministry of Commerce, Muhammad Saeed Ali, had announced the election schedule for the 2025–27 executive committee. The election was originally slated for May 31, but the Election Board had postponed it on May 14 through an official letter, drawing frustration among members and candidates at the time.

After the new date of July 26 was announced, several E-CAB members expressed their desire for the election to proceed. One member stated, "We want an election. Let the elected representatives speak to the government on our behalf. The e-commerce sector is collapsing. Business is minimal. With the election, we’ll be able to voice our demands before the government."

It has also been reported that an appeal is likely to be filed against the stay order.

A total of 36 candidates are contesting the executive committee election. Of these, 22 are running under two panels — “Team United” and “Team Tiger.”