Caretaker, interim govt systems ‘not conflicting’: Attorney General

The caretaker government system, now reinstated by the High Court, will not conflict with the current interim government arrangement, Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman has said.

The High Court’s verdict on Tuesday ruled invalid parts of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, which had abolished the caretaker government system, reports bdnews24.com.

The amendment was introduced during the tenure of the Awami League government about a decade ago.

The verdict, issued by the bench of Justices Farah Mahbub and Debashish Roy Chowdhury, paves the way for the return of the caretaker government system in place of the provision that allowed national elections under a party-led government.

In response to a question after the verdict, Asaduzzaman said: "The High Court's ruling has declared the caretaker government system constitutionally valid.”

He added. “After the fall of the government, the full bench of the Appellate Division, led by the chief justice, gave its opinion under Article 106 of the Constitution, saying an interim government can be formed with the chief advisor and a few advisors in the absence of a parliament.”

The attorney general continued, "Considering the entire context, the Supreme Court has said this [interim government system] will be a valid and constitutional government. There is no conflicting position with the caretaker government system."

The concept of an interim government was initially practised following the fall of the HM Ershad regime in 1990, after a mass uprising, but was not incorporated into the Constitution at the time.

In 1996, the BNP government, under pressure from opposition movements led by the Awami League, passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in parliament, introducing the caretaker government system.

However, based on a Supreme Court ruling, the Awami League government abolished the system in 2011 through the 15th Amendment.