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Attorney General AM Amin Uddin has called for patience from students protesting the quota system, advising them to avoid street protests as the matter is currently under judicial review.
Responding to journalists’ questions at his Supreme Court office on Monday, the Attorney General explained that the High Court had issued an order declaring the decision to abolish quotas in government jobs as illegal. The government has appealed this order to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, reports UNB.
“I urge the anti-quota movement activists to be patient. The matter is a policy decision of the government and is currently under judicial review,” said A. M. Amin Uddin.
He clarified that he filed the application to suspend the High Court’s verdict on behalf of the government. The government is awaiting the full verdict from the High Court and will decide on further steps upon its receipt.
The state’s application to suspend the High Court’s verdict is scheduled for a hearing in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday. If the full verdict is received by Wednesday, the Attorney General mentioned that they would attempt to file the leave to appeal by then.
The quota system, which reserved 56 per cent of positions in government jobs for various quotas, was abolished in 2018. This decision was challenged in 2021 by descendants of freedom fighters, leading to a High Court ruling on June 5, 2024, declaring the abolition of the freedom fighters’ quota illegal. The government subsequently applied to the Chamber Court of the Appellate Division to suspend the verdict.
On June 9, the Attorney General argued that the reinstatement of the 30 per cent freedom fighters’ quota, following the High Court’s verdict, was causing various issues. He emphasized that the decision on quotas is a policy matter for the government, not the court.
When Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed brought up the ongoing movement, the Chamber Judge cautioned against including the movement in court discussions and referred the application to the regular bench of the Appellate Division.
On July 4, a six-judge bench led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan heard the application. The Appellate Division upheld the High Court’s verdict temporarily and instructed the state to file a leave to appeal once the full verdict is published, adjourning the case hearing.