SC to Deliver Verdict on Non-Party Caretaker Government on November 20

The Bangladesh Supreme Court\’s Appellate Division is preparing to deliver a consequential verdict on November 20 that could dramatically reshape the country\’s electoral framework, specifically concerning the non-party Caretaker Government (CG) system.

The seven-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, concluded extensive hearings today on the appeals and review petitions filed by major political opposition forces and civil society members.

The current hearings are reviewing the 2011 Supreme Court judgment which declared the 13th Amendment (the foundation of the CG system) illegal. Following that verdict, the then-ruling party used the 15th Amendment to formally abolish the system later that year.

The demand for the CG system\’s reinstatement intensified following the mass student-led uprising that ousted the Awami League government in August 2024, proving, as one petitioner argued, that \”free and fair polls were not possible under political governments.\”

The push for review has been led by key opposition figures, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Miah Golam Parwar, who filed separate review petitions. They were joined by five prominent citizens, who argued the abolition violated the basic structure of the constitution established by political consensus.

Senior lawyers, including Zainul Abedin and Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal for the BNP, and Mohammad Shishir Manir for Jamaat-e-Islami, argued the petitioners\’ case. The state was represented by Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman.

The verdict on November 20 will determine whether the apex court upholds or overturns its 2011 ruling, potentially reviving the electoral mechanism central to Bangladesh\’s long-running political stability debate.