National Desk

Lawyers and political observers hailed the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling today that reinstated Bangladesh’s caretaker government system as “historic,” allowing civil appeals related to the matter to proceed.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision delivered this morning by a full bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, revived the non-party caretaker government mechanism, which is intended to oversee elections impartially.

Senior advocate Zainul Abedin, who represented a petition filed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), described the verdict as a turning point for democracy in Bangladesh. “Today is like Eid for the people of Bangladesh. The Appellate Division has unanimously delivered a verdict reinstating the caretaker government system. The people of the country will now be able to freely vote for the candidates of their choice,” he said.

Another BNP lawyer, senior advocate Ruhul Quddus Kazal, recalled that the Awami League government had abolished the caretaker government system through the 15th amendment to the Constitution. “After that, the people of the country were deprived of the opportunity to exercise their voting rights. A total of 154 Members of Parliament were elected unopposed, and voting took place the night before election day. Justice ABM Khairul Haque’s earlier verdict reflected personal preferences, which could not be accepted in the language of law and the judiciary,” he noted.

Advocate Sharif Bhuiyan, representing a petition filed by five prominent citizens, emphasized that today’s judgment explicitly annulled the previous verdict under ABM Khairul Haque. “As a result, the caretaker government system has returned to the Constitution. In the context of the present time, today’s verdict is truly historic. The earlier judgment marked the beginning of a 15-year authoritarian period in Bangladesh and was written with a clear intention,” he said.

Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, who represented Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in the case, clarified that the verdict will not take immediate effect. “The caretaker government system will not be applicable for the 13th national parliamentary election but will come into force for the 14th parliamentary election,” he explained.

The Supreme Court’s ruling marks a major judicial intervention in Bangladesh’s electoral framework, restoring a system designed to ensure non-partisan administration during national elections. The unanimous verdict is expected to have significant implications for the country’s political and democratic processes in the coming years.