Freedom fighter quota in govt jobs to stay: Appellate Division

The Appellate Division upheld the High Court judgment that termed cancelling the freedom fighter quota in first and second-class government jobs as illegal. 

The Appellate Bench headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan upheld the High Court’s verdict today (4 July).

“The High Court rule will be in effect for now. You can file a regular appeal after receiving the full verdict,” the Appellate bench told the state side.

At the same time, Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan also raised the question whether the verdict of the Supreme Court can be changed by protesting on the streets.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state in the court while Senior lawyer Motahar Hossain Saju moved for the writ.

Lawyer Motahar Hossain Saju said the judgment of the High Court will be upheld until the next hearing in the Appellate Division.

Earlier on 5 June, the High Court ruled that the notification issued on 4 October 2018, cancelling the freedom fighter quota in first and second-class government jobs is illegal.

A bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Khizir Hayat delivered the ruling today (5 June), giving a final hearing on a writ petition related to the matter.

On 6 December 2021, hearing a writ petition challenging the cancellation of the freedom fighter quota in government jobs, a High Court bench of Justices Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Md Kamrul Hossain Molla issued a rule asking why the 4 October 2018 notification cancelling the quota should not be declared illegal.

The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification in 2018 cancelling the 10% women’s quota, 30% freedom fighter quota and 10% district quota for direct recruitment from 9th grade and 10th to 13th grade.

It said that for direct recruitment to the posts of 9th grade (formerly 1st class) and 10th-13th grade (formerly 2nd class), recruitment will be made on the basis of a merit list. The existing quota system was abolished for direct recruitment to those posts.

Challenging the notification, seven people, including Ahidul Islam Tushar, President of the Central Command Council of the Children and Grandchildren of Freedom Fighters, filed a writ petition in the High Court.

At that time, the writ petitioners said the 30% quota for freedom fighters had been abolished for the 9th grade and 10th to 13th grades and placed in the 14th to 20th grades, which is tantamount to insulting the war heroes and their next generation.