Dhaka: The appellate division of the Supreme Court has set February 25 as the date for delivering its judgment on the reinstatement of 85 upazila election officers who were dismissed during the last caretaker government’s tenure. Chief Justice Dr. Syed Reefat Ahmed announced the date following the hearing of separate appeals and review petitions filed by the legal representatives of the dismissed officers.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Public Service Commission (PSC) had temporarily selected 327 candidates on September 3, 2005, for the role of upazila election officers. Out of these, 85 individuals were dismissed in 2007 during the caretaker government’s administration. The sacked officers’ appeals were initially dismissed by the Administrative Tribunal on March 23, 2009. Subsequently, an appeal led to a favorable judgment from the Administrative Appeal Tribunal on April 12, 2010, which ordered their reinstatement.
However, the state prosecution challenged this decision, filing four leave to appeals with the appellate division. On April 29, 2010, the chamber judge deferred the judgment and referred it to the appellate division’s regular bench. In 2011, the appellate division granted the appeals and on September 1, 2022, canceled the reinstatement order of the Administrative Appeal Tribunal.
In response, the dismissed officers filed five review petitions and four appeals in 2023 with the appellate division of the Supreme Court, challenging the chamber court’s decision.