The High Court (HC) on Monday declared that the Election Commission’s (EC) gazette that reduced the number of parliamentary constituencies in Bagerhat from four to three is illegal, ordering authorities to reinstate all four constituencies in the district.

A bench comprising Justice Shashanka Shekhar Sarkar and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar Kajol delivered the verdict after hearing two separate writ petitions filed by local organisations and political groups challenging EC’s decision, according to court sources.

On September 16, HC had issued a rule asking why the EC’s gazette should not be declared unlawful and why the district’s four constituencies should not be restored. The EC and other respondents were directed to respond within ten days.

Senior lawyer Barrister Sheikh Muhammad Zakir Hossain represented the petitioners, while Assistant Attorney General Md Ikramul Kabir appeared for the state.

The petitions were jointly filed by Bagerhat Press Club, Bagerhat District Bar Association, and local units of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Islami Andolon Bangladesh, along with the District Truck Owners Association.

The respondents included the Government of Bangladesh, the Chief Election Commissioner, and the EC secretary.

Ahead of the upcoming 13th National Election, EC proposed on 30 July to cut Bagerhat’s constituencies from four to three, triggering widespread protests and objections during a public hearing. Local residents and representatives of multiple political parties had demanded that the four-seat structure remain unchanged.

Despite these objections, the EC issued its final gazette on 4 September, keeping the number of constituencies at three with minor boundary revisions—a move that local leaders described as “disregarding public opinion.”

Under the EC’s now-invalidated gazette, Bagerhat-1 included Bagerhat Sadar, Chitalmari, and Mollahat; Bagerhat-2 covered Fakirhat, Rampal, and Mongla; and Bagerhat-3 comprised Kachua, Morelganj, and Sharankhola.

Historically, Bagerhat has had four parliamentary constituencies since 1969: Bagerhat-1: Chitalmari, Mollahat, and Fakirhat; Bagerhat-2: Bagerhat Sadar and Kachua; Bagerhat-3: Rampal and Mongla; Bagerhat-4: Morelganj and Sharankhola.

With Monday’s verdict, the original four-seat structure is to be reinstated, marking a significant judicial rebuke to the EC’s recent redistricting decision.