The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will hold hearing on Sunday on the leave to appeal petition filed by the government seeking cancellation of the High Court judgement, which on June 5 effectively reinstated quotas in government jobs.
The chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice M Enayetur Rahim fixed the date on Thursday while Attorney General moved with a petition for quick hearing on the matter.
The chamber court sat in the residence of Justice M Enayetur Rahim. Attorney General AM Amin Uddin along with Assistant Attorney General M Saiful Alam went to the residence of Justice Rahim at about 6:00pm. The chamber court instantly received the petition and fixed the date for hearing considering an urgent matter.
The government's leave to appeal petition and the students petition kept as item number 3 in the Sunday's cause list of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan for hearing.
Earlier in the day two Dhaka University students on Thursday filed a leave to appeal petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the High Court judgement, which on June 5 effectively reinstated quotas in government jobs.
Al Sadi Bhuiyan, a student of the Department of Anthropology and president of DU Journalist Association, and Ahnaf Sayeed Khan, a student of the Department of Urdu, submitted the petition through senior lawyer Shah Monjurul Hoque seeking cancellation of the HC verdict.
Later, the lawyer said that keeping the provision of quotas in public service is a policy decision of the government and the court cannot interfere with this policy decision.
Replying to a question, the lawyer said he is yet to decide when he will move the leave to appeal petition before the Appellate Division.
On July 14, the full verdict of the High Court declaring the circular to cancel the quota system in the first- and second-class government jobs, including for freedom fighters, was published.
A High Court bench comprising Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Khizir Hayat issued the full 27-page judgment.
Earlier on June 5, the same bench of the HC ordered the government to retain the 30% freedom fighter quota in government jobs.
Protesting the HC judgement on June 5, students staged demonstrations at different educational institutions, including Dhaka University. They took to the streets on July 1. Since then, the protesters have been continuing demonstrations, demanding reforms to the quota system through the formulation of a law.
On July 10, the SC delivered the status quo order following two separate petitions filed by the government and two Dhaka University students seeking a stay on the HC judgement.
