# Nitai Roy Chowdhury

Nitai Roy Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician. He is a vice chairman of the Central Committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He was elected as MP of Magura-2 in Fourth General Election of Bangladesh. He was a State Minister of Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

## Early life

Chowdhury was born on 5 January 1949 in Hatbaria village, Mohammadpur Upazila, Magura District. He graduated from Alokdia Pukhuria High School and from Magura Government College. He finished his law degree at the University of Dhaka.

## Career

Chowdhury was elected to parliament in 1988 as a candidate of the Jatiya Party. He was the State Minister of Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in the government of President Hussain Mohammad Ershad. He was the Ministry of Youth and Sports from 9 September 1990 to 6 December 1990. He had served as the Chairperson of Magura District Council.
Chowdhury joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in 2001 from the Jatiya Party. He stood as a candidate of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Magura-1 in 2001 but lost to Muhammad Serajul Akbar, a candidate of the Awami League. The local unit also opposed the nomination of Chowdhury arguing he was a voter of Magura-2.
A fraction of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party declared Chowdhury unwanted in Magura District in 2006. He supported Ashraful Islam, convener of Sreepur Upazila unit of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, over the Sreepur Upazila unit president Kamaluddin Master. The party in the district was divided in two fractions, one led by Quazi Kamal and another led by Chowdhury. In December 2006, he attended an event of the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum demanding punishment for pro-Awami League lawyers who blocked the Supreme Court.
Quazi Kamal supporters prevented Chowdhury from attending an iftar program of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Magura District in September 2008. Nazimuddin Ahmed, joint-convener of Magura District unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, alleged Chowdhury supported reforms initiatives of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party by Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Progressive Democratic Party during the 2006–2008 Bangladesh political crisis. Chowdhury and Kamal are involved in an interparty political struggle. Chowdhury accused Kamal of corruption in 2007.
Magura District unit of Jubo Dal accused Chowdhury of dividing the party in 2012. He represented Aman Ullah Aman and Gayeshwar Chandra Roy in April 2014 in case filed over the murder of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir activist who died in a clash with the police during March for Democracy programme.
Chowdhury represented Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in a money laundering case in 2015. He represented Mirza Abbas in a corruption case. He attended a session of the House of Lords on Bangladesh's political situation. He represented Moniruzzaman Moni, mayor of Khulna City Corporation, in a case to reinstate him as Mayor and successfully secured a six month stay on his suspension order.
Chowdhury represented Nipun Roy Chowdhury in November 2018 in three cases filed over clashes between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists and Bangladesh Police. Nipun was sent to jail. Chowdhury petitioned the High Court Division for withdrawal of thousands of cases filed by the government against Bangladesh Nationalist Party and other opposition party politicians. He was nominated by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party for the 2018 Bangladesh general election from Magura-2. He received 52,668 votes but lost to Awami League candidate Biren Sikder who received 229,659. In November 2021, he was part of a delegation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party that meet with Minister of Law Anisul Huq to ask about sending former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment. He called for the party to identify its foreign friends and engage farmers, laborers, and students in a movement against the government. He was an advisor to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
Chowdhury participated in a planning of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party rally in July to demand the resignation of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government. Chowdhury blamed the destruction of Bangladesh's legal framework for corruption in the country. Chowdhury represented Nipun Roy Chowdhury and secured bail for her in August in case over a clash between the Police and Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Dholaikhal. In November 2023, Bangladesh High Court granted bail to Chowdhury, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, and Zainul Abedin in case filed over the vandalism of the residence of the Chief Justice of Bangladesh the previous month. In December 2023, Chowdhury represented Nipun Roy Chowdhury along with Debasish Roy Chowdhury and secured bail in eight cases at the Bangladesh High Court. He visited Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters to seek permission for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to hold a victory day rally.
Chowdhury secured bail for Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Nipun Roy Chowdhury in January 2024. He met with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to secure permission for protests demanding the cancellation of the 12th national election. He blamed Awami League for attacks against minority Hindu community during the election. Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, he called for reforms of the lower courts where legal harassments take place. He was part of a delegation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party that met with Pranay Verma, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh in September. He expressed confidence that the next elected government of Bangladesh will be a Bangladesh Nationalist Party government.

## Personal life

Chowdhury's daughter, advocate Nipun Roy Chowdhury is the member of the BNP Central Executive Committee. She is married to the son of Gayeshwar Chandra Roy.