Govt appoints 96 more candidates from 27th BCS

The government has issued appointment letters to 96 additional candidates from the 27th Bangladesh Civil Service examination, extending relief to applicants who had remained without postings despite qualifying nearly two decades ago.

The Ministry of Public Administration published a gazette notification on Wednesday confirming their recruitment to various BCS cadres. The appointments follow recommendations made by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission.

This latest decision comes months after the ministry, on December 18 last year, appointed 673 candidates from the same 27th BCS batch, concluding a prolonged legal process that spanned almost 20 years.

According to the new notification, the selected candidates must report to their respective cadre-controlling ministries or divisions by May 18. In the absence of further instructions from the authorities, joining on that date will be mandatory. Failure to do so within the specified timeframe will be treated as a refusal to accept the position, resulting in automatic cancellation of the appointment.

The government has decided that the appointments will take retrospective effect from the date when the first notification for the 27th BCS batch was originally issued, in order to protect the officers’ seniority status. Their notional seniority will count from the joining date mentioned in that initial notification. 

However, they will not receive any backdated financial benefits for the intervening years.

The 27th BCS process has been mired in controversy since its viva voce results were announced on January 21, 2007, during the BNP-led administration, with 3,567 candidates declared successful. 

On June 30 the same year, the military-backed caretaker government annulled the viva results, citing allegations of irregularities and corruption amid the state of emergency.

Aggrieved candidates challenged the cancellation in the High Court, but on July 3, 2008, the court upheld the government’s decision. 

The petitioners subsequently sought leave to appeal before the Appellate Division, prolonging the legal battle that has only recently moved toward resolution.