Govt can change or increase job quota: HC

Through a partial judgment,  the High Court has declared illegal the 2018 circular that had invalidated the quota of freedom fighters

According to the verdict pronounced today, the government can change or increase the quota if it wants. And if no one is found in the quota or if the post is vacant, it can be filled from the general merit list.

Deputy Attorney General Sheikh Saifuzzaman (Zaman) confirmed the publication of the development, saying that the High Court has ruled that the government can change or increase or decrease the quota rate if it deems it necessary.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court granted a one-month stay on the High Court‍‍`s verdict declaring the circular to cancel the quota system in government jobs as ‍‍`invalid‍‍`. As a result of this order, the circular issued by the government in 2018 canceling the quota of freedom fighters remains in force. The Chief Justice urged the students to return to class while giving the verdict. The matter will be heard again after 4 weeks.

On Wednesday morning, the decision to cancel the freedom fighter quota system in the first and second class of government jobs was declared invalid and the time was fixed at 11:30 am for the hearing of two petitions seeking stay of the judgment of the High Court. In view of the Attorney General‍‍`s application, a five-judge appellate bench led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan fixed this time on Wednesday (July 10) at 9:55am.

At the beginning of the hearing, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin said that yesterday (Tuesday) two students applied for suspension of the judgment of the High Court. Our state side also has an application form. It is better if the two applications are heard together at 11:30am. Then the Appellate Division fixed 11:30am for the hearing.

On Tuesday, two students filed an appeal seeking suspension of the High Court‍‍`s decision to cancel the freedom fighter quota system in the first and second class of government jobs. They are - Al Sadi Bhuiyan, student of Anthropology Department of Dhaka University and President of Dhaka University Journalists Association and Ahnaf Saeed Khan, student of Urdu Department. Later, the application was sent to the Appellate Division by the Chamber Judge‍‍`s Court for hearing. Appellate Division Chamber Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam fixed today for the hearing. Advocate Shah Manjurul Haque heard the petition in court. The court of the chamber judge sat on Tuesday only to fix the hearing date of this case.

On July 4, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has upheld the High Court judgment that declared illegal a 2018 government circular abolishing the 30 percent quota system for the Freedom Fighters‍‍` children in the ninth to 13th grades of government jobs.