SC Restores Caretaker Govt, Referendum Provisions

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a High Court verdict declaring several provisions of the Constitution's 15th Amendment unconstitutional, restoring the constitutional provisions for a non-party caretaker government and referendum.

A four-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, delivered the verdict by rejecting the appeals filed against the High Court judgment.

Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal said the court dismissed the appeals filed by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and others, thereby upholding the earlier ruling.

The Appellate Division had reserved its judgment after concluding a three-day hearing on Wednesday and fixed July 9 for delivering the verdict.

During the proceedings, Attorney General Kazal represented the state, while senior lawyer Dr. Sharif Bhuiyan appeared for the writ petitioners. Senior lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir represented Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

The appeals arose from the High Court's judgment delivered on December 17 last year, which declared unconstitutional the provisions of the 15th Amendment that abolished the non-party caretaker government system and removed the constitutional provision for holding referendums.