Dhaka: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court is set to announce its judgment tomorrow regarding an appeal challenging the previous verdict that abolished the non-party caretaker government system used for conducting national elections. The announcement follows a series of hearings that concluded on November 11, as per a short order by the Appellate Division full bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the court scheduled the judgment date after hearing arguments over ten consecutive days. Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman presented his arguments on November 6, following earlier submissions by himself and Additional Attorney General Barrister Aneek R Haque which began on November 5. Prior to this, Senior Advocates Zainul Abedin and Ruhul Quddus Kazal represented the BNP from November 4 to 5, with Advocate Abedin commencing their submissions on October 29.
Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir argued on behalf of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on October 28, while Advocate Sharif Bhuiyan initiated arguments on October 21 and 22 for five distinguished citizens. Barrister Ehsan Abdullah Siddiq also intervened during the hearing on October 23.
The appeal follows the Appellate Division's decision on August 27, 2025, to allow an appeal against its 2011 judgment which declared the 13th Amendment, introducing the caretaker government system, unconstitutional. This decision came after the court considered multiple review petitions advocating for the reinstatement of the amendment and the caretaker system.
A total of four review petitions were submitted by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, five prominent citizens including SUJAN Secretary Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, and another individual petitioner. All petitions were reviewed collectively.
Earlier, on December 17, 2024, the High Court had declared the abolition of the caretaker government system unconstitutional. Following this verdict, Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman informed reporters that the ruling effectively reinstated the caretaker provision within the Constitution.