The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has issued a verdict to reinstate the non-party caretaker government system in the constitution. Today, Thursday (November 20), a full seven-member bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refat Ahmed delivered this landmark judgment. The system, which was abolished nearly 14 years ago, will now be implemented again, starting from the 14th national election.
After hearings on November 11, today was scheduled for the verdict. In this widely discussed case, senior lawyers Zainul Abedin and Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajol argued on behalf of the BNP. Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir represented Jamaat-e-Islami. Senior lawyer Sharif Bhuiya presented arguments on behalf of five prominent citizens. The state was represented by Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman. The hearings continued over a total of 10 working days.
During the hearings, both the appellants’ and the state’s lawyers argued that reinstating the caretaker government system is essential to maintaining a fair democratic process in the country. They also stated that political instability increased after this system was abolished.
After the verdict, BNP lawyer Zainul Abedin said that through this decision, citizens will once again be able to exercise their voting rights freely, which will strengthen democracy. According to him, the verdict will help steer the country away from political conflict and instability.