The Chamber Court of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division has postponed the hearing on the three review petitions regarding the caretaker government filed by the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Shujan, rescheduling it for November 17.
Today, Thursday, the six-member Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, set the hearing date in response to time requests from the state and the BNP.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Jamaat-e-Islami filed a review petition against the ruling that annulled the 13th Amendment of the Constitution.
The party's Secretary General, Mia Golam Parwar, submitted this review petition to the Appellate Division.
Meanwhile, on October 16, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also filed a review petition against the ruling that annulled the 13th Amendment.
He submitted this review petition in the relevant section of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division, in light of the changed circumstances following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5.
Earlier, on August 27, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, the Secretary of Shujan, filed a separate review petition against the ruling that annulled the 13th Amendment concerning the caretaker government system.
The 13th Amendment, which included a non-partisan caretaker government system during elections, was adopted by the National Parliament in 1996.
In 1998, three lawyers, including Advocate M Salimullah, challenged the validity of this amendment by filing a writ in the High Court.
On August 4, 2004, the High Court Division dismissed that writ and declared the caretaker government system valid.
The court permitted a direct appeal against this ruling.
Following that, in 2005, the petitioners appealed, and on May 10, 2011, a full bench of seven justices in the Appellate Division ruled to annul the 13th Amendment based on a majority opinion.
However, the Appellate Court, led by then Chief Justice A. B. M. Khairul Haque, expressed the view that the next two parliamentary elections, namely the 10th and 11th, could be held under a caretaker government.
However, the provision in the written judgment was not maintained.
Following the announced ruling, the 15th Amendment, which abolished the caretaker government system and introduced several changes, was passed by the National Parliament on June 30, 2011.
Subsequently, a gazette related to this was published on July 3 of the same year.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
