6 months ago
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Bangladesh’s Supreme Court connected Thursday (November 20, 2025) ordered restoration of predetermination clip non-partisan caretaker authorities but said the judgement would not use to the planned wide elections to beryllium held successful February adjacent year.
A afloat seven-member of the Supreme Court’s apex Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed issued the bid that “restored and revived” the erstwhile law proviso which was annulled during deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.
The apex tribunal verdict, however, specified a phased implementation of the system, saying it would not use to the planned 13th parliamentary polls, keeping the present disbanded Awami League retired of the predetermination fray.
The caretaker strategy was introduced successful 1996 and 2 consequent elections led by 2 retired main justices oversaw the wide accepted polls wrong 90 days and transferred powerfulness to the winners.
The 3rd consequent predetermination successful 2008 was held nether a military-backed interim authorities led by a erstwhile cardinal slope politician successful a peaceful mode which brought Hasina’s present disbanded Awami League government, which scrapped the strategy with its overwhelming bulk successful parliament.
The 3 consequent elections held nether the Awami League authorities sparked monolithic contention implicit complaints of manipulations. Hasina's arch rival and different erstwhile Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party boycotted elections successful 2014 and 2024, demanding the restoration of the caretaker authorities system.
Hasina's authorities was toppled successful a convulsive student-led protestation connected August 5, 2024, astir 7 months aft it was re-elected successful what the absorption termed arsenic questionable polls successful January.
The verdict said the caretaker system, primitively inserted done the 13th law amendment of 1996, was “activated and revived,” binning a 2011 apex tribunal judgement during the past authorities saying that verdict was “tainted by respective cited errors evident connected the look of the record.” According to the verdict, Muhammad Yunu’s existing interim authorities would oversee the planned February predetermination portion the consequent 1 would beryllium held nether the restored caretaker authorities system.
“Under the Constitution, the caretaker authorities indispensable beryllium formed wrong 15 days of the dissolution of Parliament. Since Parliament was dissolved much than a twelvemonth ago, the required process cannot beryllium initiated,” lawyer Sharif Bhuiyan, who had earlier filed a writ seeking restoration of the system, said.
