Dhaka, July 9 (V7N)- Two students from Dhaka University have filed an application with the Appellate Division seeking a stay on the High Court order reinstating the freedom fighter quota in public service. The hearing on the application will be held before the full bench of the Appellate Division on Wednesday.
 
Chamber Judge Md Ashfaqul Islam set the hearing date this afternoon. Earlier, around 11 a.m., the two students, Alsadi Bhuiyan, president of Dhaka University Journalists' Association, and Ahnaf Sayeed Khan, sought permission from the court to submit the application. Judge Ashfaqul Islam granted the permission.
 
The application was subsequently filed with the concerned branch of the Appellate Division around 12:30 p.m. Advocate Shah Manjurul Haque represented the petitioners, while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin appeared on behalf of the state.
 
On July 4, the High Court had adjourned the hearing on a petition filed by the state seeking a stay on the High Court verdict, as the lawyer for the writ petitioner was not present. This led to an escalation of the anti-quota movement across the country.
 
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin informed reporters that the quota protesters could appeal to the Appellate Division if they wished.
 
The quota system, which reserved 56 percent of positions in government jobs for various quotas, was abolished in 2018. This decision was challenged in 2021 by descendants of freedom fighters, leading to a High Court ruling on June 5, 2024, declaring the abolition of the freedom fighters’ quota illegal.
 
The government subsequently applied to the Chamber Court of the Appellate Division to suspend the order. On July 4, a six-judge bench led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan heard the application. The Appellate Division upheld the High Court’s verdict temporarily and instructed the state to file a leave-to-appeal once the full verdict is published, adjourning the case hearing.
 
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