Appeal division puts a hold on High Court‍‍`s ruling to declare august 15 as National mourning day holiday

The Appeal Division has temporarily stopped the High Court‍‍`s decision to declare August 15 a public holiday for National Mourning Day. 

The decision was made on Monday, December 2, by the Appeal Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed.

Since the Awami League came to power in 1996, August 15, the day when Bangladesh’s founding leader, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and his family were killed, has been observed as National Mourning Day. 

It has always been a government holiday, marked as a Category ‍‍`A‍‍` national event.

However, in 2002, when the BNP-led government took over, they decided to cancel the observance of August 15 as National Mourning Day. 

After six years, in 2008, following a High Court order, the observance was reinstated. The High Court declared August 15 as National Mourning Day again in 2009, and since then, it has been an official day of mourning in the country.

This year, however, the observance of the day was put on hold. The government asked for a full suspension of the High Court’s decision. 

After the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, and the departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the country, the interim government canceled the holiday for August 15. 

On August 13, the advisory council of the interim government, led by Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, approved the cancellation of the holiday. 

A formal notification was issued soon after, officially canceling the public holiday for National Mourning Day.