Dhaka, Aug 27 (V7N) – The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court is holding the second day of hearings on several review petitions challenging its earlier judgment that abolished the caretaker government system.

The petitions were filed by BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Sushasane Gari Nagorik (SUJAN), and several others. On August 21, the Appellate Division had fixed today for continuing the review hearing.

It may be recalled that on May 10, 2011, a bench led by then Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque declared the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution—which introduced the caretaker government system—null and void by majority opinion. In October last year, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir filed a petition seeking review of that landmark verdict. Separately, five other prominent individuals, including SUJAN Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar and Jamaat-e-Islami, also filed review applications.

During Tuesday’s hearing, lawyers for the petitioners argued that of the seven judges who had delivered the 2011 judgment, four supported abolition, and all of them later went on to become Chief Justices in succession. By contrast, the remaining three judges, who dissented and opposed the abolition, were never elevated to the post of Chief Justice.

The review hearing is being closely watched across political and legal circles, as the caretaker government issue remains at the center of national debate over future elections.

END/SMA/AJ