The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has issued a status quo on a High Court verdict regarding quotas in government jobs, urging students protesting the quota system to return to their classes and attend their exams. The five-member Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, made the order at 11:45 AM on Wednesday.
The hearing, initially scheduled for 10 AM, was rescheduled by the Appellate Division. The students have also been instructed to submit their statements in writing to the court. Despite this, protesters have announced their intention to continue their demonstrations until their demands are met.
On Tuesday, the writ petitioner appointed a new lawyer and requested a hearing in the special chamber court. Chamber Justice Ashfaqul Islam set the hearing for Wednesday. As the full judgment has not yet been published, the chamber court specifically ordered the status quo.
On July 4, the Appellate Division upheld the High Court’s verdict. Earlier, on June 5, the High Court had declared illegal a circular that canceled quotas, including those for freedom fighters, in first and second-class government jobs. This means the 30% quota for freedom fighters in government jobs (grades 9 to 13) will remain in place.
The controversy began on October 4, 2018, when the Ministry of Public Administration issued a circular to implement the cabinet’s decision to abolish the existing quota system for direct recruitment to first and second-class posts in government jobs. This followed a prolonged student movement demanding quota reform. The decision to remove the 45% quota for recruitment in government jobs from ninth to thirteenth grade, opting instead for merit-based recruitment, was based on the recommendations of the quota review committee and approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on October 3, 2018.
