Dhaka: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for February 13 on a petition seeking a review of its judgment regarding the Warrant of Precedence. A bench comprising three members and led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam issued this order when the matter appeared at the top of today’s cause list.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Barrister Nihad Kabir represented the plea, while senior lawyer Ahsanul Karim and Barrister M Abdul Qaium were present for the deputy and assistant attorney generals, who have become parties to the case. The legal proceedings were initiated by Md Ataur Rahman, the former secretary general of the Bangladesh Judicial Service Association, who filed a writ petition in 2006 with the High Court. The petition challenged the legality of the Warrant of Precedence, arguing that the Cabinet Division arbitrarily framed it in 1986 without properly evaluating the dignity and status of judicial officials.
On February 4, 2010, the High Court declared the 1986 Warrant of Precedence illegal and invalid, issuing eight directions on the matter. In response, the state appealed against this judgment in 2011. Following this, the Appellate Division delivered its judgment on January 11, 2015, making some corrections to the High Court’s eight directions and finalizing three of them. Subsequently, the Bangladesh Judicial Service Association filed a plea seeking a review of the Appellate Division’s judgment, with the deputy and assistant attorney generals later joining as parties in the case.