Full verdict on caretaker government reinstatement published

The full judgement of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh’s Appellate Division reinstating the caretaker government system in the Constitution has been published.

The 74-page verdict was uploaded to the court’s official website on Sunday. 

The judgement was authored by former Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, who delivered the ruling on November 20.

The non-party caretaker government system was first introduced in Bangladesh in 1996 through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Bangladesh during the tenure of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government.

In 2011, however, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court declared the amendment unconstitutional during the rule of Awami League government, effectively abolishing the caretaker government system.

After the fall of Awami League administration, a petition was filed during the tenure of the interim government seeking a review of the 2011 verdict. The apex court later decided to rehear the appeal.

Following fresh hearings, the court ruled that the earlier decision scrapping the 13th Amendment was unlawful and ordered the restoration of the non-party caretaker government system to oversee national elections.

SH