Students urged to return to classes as Supreme Court issues status quo on High Court order

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has issued a status quo of four weeks on the subject matter regarding quota in government jobs and the High Court judgement, instructing protesting students to return to their classes and attend their exams.

The five-member Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, passed the order around 11:45am on Wednesday.

The hearing was initially scheduled to start at 10am, but the time was later changed by the Appellate Division.

At the same time, the students have been asked to submit their statements in writing to the court.

Meanwhile, the protesters announced their intention to remain on the streets until their demand is met.

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On Tuesday, the writ petitioner appointed a new lawyer and applied for a hearing in the special chamber court. Chamber Justice Ashfaqul Islam subsequently fixed Wednesday for the hearing.

As the full judgment has not yet been published, the chamber court specifically ordered the status quo.

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On July 4, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s verdict.

On June 5, the High Court declared illegal the circular that cancelled the quotas, including those for freedom fighters, in first and second-class government jobs.

As a result, the 30% quota for freedom fighters in government jobs (grades 9 to 13) will remain in place.

On October 4, 2018, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a circular to implement the cabinet's decision to abolish the existing quota system for direct recruitment to first and second-class posts in government jobs.

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The Ministry of Public Administration issued the circular a day after the decision of the Cabinet to cancel the quota.

The government decided to remove the 45% quota for recruitment in government jobs from ninth to thirteenth grade, opting for merit-based recruitment after a prolonged student movement demanding quota reform. The quota review committee's recommendations led to this decision, approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on October 3, 2018.