Dhaka: The Awami-League led 14-party alliance yesterday (Nov 26, 2006) moved the High Court challenging the appointment of President Iajuddin Ahmed as chief of the interim caretaker authority and charging him with taking 'unilateral' decisions 'in violation' of the Constitution.

Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil and other alliance leaders also filed a writ petition against the Election Commission challenging its decision to announce a poll schedule by this month without amending the voter list which, they alleged, had 1.14 crore false names, Court sources said.

The High Court set Monday for the hearing of the petitions.

While one petition challenged Ahmed's appointment as the chief of the interim caretaker authority claiming that it was in violation of the Constitution, the other charged him with taking 'unilateral decisions' without consulting his advisers as prescribed in the Constitution, sources said.

The alliance led by Sheikh Hasina Wajed's Awami League has launched an agitation for electoral reforms and has threatened to boycott the polls which have to be held by January 25, 2007 if their demands are not met.

Former Prime Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led four-party alliance wants the Election Commission to announce the poll schedule immediately.