The Appellate Division is set to announce its verdict on Thursday regarding an appeal challenging its earlier decision that abolished the caretaker government system for conducting national elections.
A seven-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, will deliver the ruling.

The appeal was presented by senior lawyers Zainul Abedin and Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal on behalf of BNP Secretary General, Mohammad Shishir Monir for Jamaat-e-Islami and senior lawyer Sharif Bhuiyan for five prominent citizens.Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman represented the state.

Speaking to reporters, lawyer Shishir Monir said that holding the 13th parliamentary election under a caretaker government is no longer feasible under constitutional provisions.

“A caretaker government must be formed within 15 days of Parliament’s dissolution. Parliament was dissolved more than a year ago. We hope the 14th National Parliament election will be conducted under a caretaker government,” he added.

The case has a long history. The caretaker system was first introduced through the 13th Amendment in 1996.

In 1998, three lawyers, including Advocate M Salim Ullah, filed a writ petition challenging the amendment. The petition was initially dismissed in 2004, but an appeal in 2005 eventually led a full Appellate Division bench to declare the 13th Amendment null and void on May 10, 2011.

Subsequently, the 15th Amendment, which formally abolished the caretaker government system along with other changes, was passed on June 30, 2011, and gazetted on July 3 of the same year.

Following the government change, five prominent individuals, including SUJAN Secretary Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, filed an appeal on August 5 last year seeking a review of the verdict. The other petitioners were Tofail Ahmed, M Hafizuddin Khan, Zobairul Haq Bhuiyan, and Zahra Rahman.
Additionally, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir submitted a review petition on October 16, followed by one from Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Prof Mia Golam Parwar on October 23.
The Appellate Division’s verdict on Thursday will determine the future of the caretaker government system in Bangladesh’s national elections.