Dhaka: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) today ordered reinstating 85 upazila election officers, who were sacked by the then caretaker government in 2007, with all their benefits. The five-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed pronounced the judgment, allowing separate pleas and a review petition filed by the appellants. The apex court also ordered to give all the due benefits as per law to the families of the three election officials among the 85, who have died already.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, senior advocate Salah Uddin Dolon moved the pleas for the appellants, while senior lawyers Prabir Niyogi and Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal argued for the review petition. Advocate Md Khalekuzzaman Bhuiyan took part in the hearing for the Election Commission and Additional Attorney General Aneek Rushd Haque stood for the state.
Case documents reveal that 327 individuals were temporarily selected as upazila election officers through the Public Service Commission (PSC) on September 3, 2005. However, in 2007, the caretaker government dismissed 85 of them. The dismissed officials contested the decision, but the administrative tribunal dismissed their case on March 23, 2009. The appellants then appealed, and on April 12, 2010, the administrative appellate tribunal ruled in their favor.
The state subsequently filed four leave-to-appeal pleas against the tribunal’s order. The Appellate Division Chamber Judge Court stayed the administrative appellate tribunal’s order on April 29, 2010, and referred the matter to the Appellate Division full bench for further hearing. The apex court, on September 1, 2022, allowed the state appeals and overturned the administrative appellate tribunal’s decision, leading the appellants to file five separate petitions seeking a review of the Appellate Division judgment.