Republish results of 46,199 candidates by merit: SC 

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the republication of the results of the 2023 primary school assistant teacher recruitment examination for 46,199 candidates in the Dhaka and Chattogram divisions, directing that the results be prepared based on merit rather than the quota system.

At the same time, the apex court also ordered the appointment of 151 writ petitioners as assistant teachers within the next 60 days.

A five-member appeals bench headed by Chief Justice Zubair Rahman Chowdhury delivered the verdict on Thursday.

The previous 84 percent quota-based system will be replaced with a 93 percent merit-based assessment following the Supreme Court’s quota reform ruling.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Senior Advocate Tajul Islam, who represented the petitioners, said the recruitment process originated from a 2023 circular under which appointments were made according to the quota system then in force.

He said around 84% of the posts were filled under quota provisions.

According to Tajul Islam, 151 candidates challenged the recruitment process before the High Court, arguing that following the Supreme Court's quota judgment delivered after the July movement, recruitment should have been conducted primarily on merit, with 93% of appointments based on merit.

The High Court subsequently declared the recruitment process illegal and directed the authorities to appoint the 151 petitioners. The government later challenged that verdict before the Appellate Division.

Tajul Islam said the Appellate Division disposed of the appeal by issuing three directives.

"The first directive is that the 151 writ petitioners must be appointed within the next 60 days," he said.

"The second directive is that the results of the 46,199 candidates who participated in the recruitment examination must be republished in light of the Supreme Court's judgment in CP No 2516 of 2024, which struck down the quota system," he added.