Dhaka, June 5 -- The Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) and LAWASIA have expressed "immense concern" over repeated reports of interference in the bar elections of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) of Bangladesh.

In a joint statement, the two organisations called on the government, the SCBA, the Bangladesh Bar Council and other authorities to ensure that bar association elections are conducted freely, fairly and in accordance with the relevant constitutions and rules.

The SCBA announced the nomination period for its elections between Apr 19 and Apr 28.

The organisations said several qualified lawyers were allegedly denied nomination despite meeting constitutional requirements.

They said the nominations were reportedly reject...