The Parliament Secretariat has taken a final decision regarding Gazi Nazrul Islam, the Satkhira-4 constituency lawmaker who was expelled from Jamaat-e-Islami over allegations of moral misconduct. The Secretariat is expected to send a letter to the Election Commission (EC) soon seeking necessary legal action against him.

According to sources, Jamaat-e-Islami had earlier written to the Speaker and the Election Commission seeking action against Gazi Nazrul Islam. Following the party’s request, the Parliament Secretariat will formally write to the EC.

If the EC subsequently declares the Satkhira-4 seat vacant, Acting Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal will inform the members of parliament about the matter during the next parliamentary session.

Government Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said, “Jamaat has informed the Speaker about the matter and requested necessary action. The Parliament Secretariat’s responsibility now is to write to the Election Commission seeking legal action.”

He added, “The Election Commission will later formally communicate its decision to the Parliament Secretariat. The Speaker will then inform the members of parliament during a session.”

Why Was He Expelled?

Jamaat-e-Islami expelled Gazi Nazrul Islam following the circulation of a video on social media showing him in an intimate moment with a young woman. The party cited moral misconduct as the reason for his expulsion.

The decision immediately raised questions over whether he would retain his parliamentary seat.

On July 23, Jamaat-e-Islami sent letters to the Speaker and the Election Commission seeking necessary action against Gazi Nazrul Islam. The letter was signed by the party’s Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar.

In the letter, Jamaat said it had conducted an organisational investigation into reports published by various media outlets concerning Gazi Nazrul Islam. The investigation allegedly found evidence of moral misconduct, following which he was expelled under Article 62 of the party’s constitution.

The letter further stated that the decision to expel him was unanimously approved at an emergency meeting of Jamaat’s Central Executive Council on July 22, chaired by Opposition Leader and Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman.

The party also requested the Election Commission to take necessary action against him.

What Does the Constitution Say?

Legal and constitutional experts say that under Article 70 of the Constitution, an MP loses their parliamentary seat if they resign from their political party or vote against a decision taken by the party in Parliament.

Article 66, meanwhile, provides that an MP may lose eligibility if convicted and sentenced to more than two years in prison for an offence involving moral turpitude. Such a person is also ineligible to be elected as an MP until five years have passed since completion of the sentence.

However, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said these provisions do not directly apply to Gazi Nazrul Islam.

He said Gazi Nazrul did not resign from the party and had not voted against the party’s decision in Parliament. Although he was expelled from Jamaat over allegations of moral misconduct, there has been no court verdict or prison sentence against him in connection with the matter.

Therefore, according to the chief whip, the provisions of Article 66 also do not directly apply to his case.

Controversy Over the Video

Earlier, a video appeared on social media showing Gazi Nazrul Islam in an intimate situation with a young woman. Initially, several Jamaat activists claimed that the videos had been created using artificial intelligence (AI).

The following day, however, Gazi Nazrul Islam wrote on his Facebook page that the woman shown in the video was his second wife, Mariam Begum.

He claimed that he married Mariam on June 17 in a family ceremony with the consent of his first wife.