The fourth day of the appeal hearing seeking the reinstatement of the election-time caretaker government system is currently underway at the Supreme Court. The hearing began on Tuesday (October 28) at 9:40 a.m., before a seven-member full bench headed by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed.
Today’s hearing features arguments presented by Jamaat-e-Islami’s lawyer, Mohammad Shishir Monir.
Earlier, on October 23, during the third day of the hearing, Barrister Ehsan A. Siddiqi made submissions as an intervener. On the second day (October 22), Dr. Sharif Bhuiyan argued on behalf of the petitioner, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar. The hearing process officially began on October 21.
Previously, on August 27, the Appellate Division granted leave to appeal after hearing a petition seeking review of the verdict that had annulled the caretaker government system.
Following this, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Porwar, among others, filed appeals in support of restoring the caretaker system.
The caretaker government provision was first included in the Bangladesh Constitution in 1996 through the Thirteenth Amendment. However, after legal challenges, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, in its May 10, 2011 verdict, declared the amendment unconstitutional and void.
Subsequently, the government passed the Fifteenth Amendment on June 30, 2011, officially abolishing the caretaker government system.
After the change of government, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar and four other prominent citizens, as well as top leaders from the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, filed review petitions challenging that verdict.
The ongoing fourth day of the appeal hearing is being viewed as crucial for determining the future framework of Bangladesh’s electoral governance.