Dhaka, Nov 11 (V7N) — The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict on the appeal seeking restoration of the caretaker government system during election periods on November 20.

The date was fixed on Tuesday (November 11) during the tenth day of hearings before a seven-member appellate bench headed by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed.

Earlier, on November 6, Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman concluded arguments for the state, saying that the abolition of the caretaker government system had “dealt a blow to society” and “destroyed constitutional institutions,” leading to what he described as “unrealistic incidents like dead people voting at night.”

The appeal follows the Supreme Court’s 2011 verdict declaring the Thirteenth Amendment unconstitutional, which had introduced the caretaker government system in 1996. Following that decision, the Fifteenth Amendment Act was passed on June 30, 2011, officially abolishing the system.

After the change of government on August 5 last year, five prominent citizens—including Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Tofail Ahmed, M Hafizuddin Khan, Jobairul Haque Bhuiyan, and Zahra Rahman—filed a petition seeking a review of the 2011 verdict.

Subsequently, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Parwar also filed separate appeals seeking reinstatement of the caretaker government system.

The full bench has heard arguments over ten sessions, beginning on October 21, and is expected to announce its highly anticipated verdict on November 20.

END/SMA/AJ