Bar Council’s cancellation of first review result illegal: HC

The High Court has declared illegal the Bangladesh Bar Council’s decision to cancel the first review result of the written examination for enrolment as lawyers, published on November 18 last year.

A High Court bench led by Justice Khizir Ahmed Chowdhury passed the order on Wednesday (June 10) after making absolute a rule issued earlier in connection with the matter.

In its ruling, the court directed the Bar Council to allow candidates who had passed the first review result but were subsequently excluded in the second review process to sit directly for the viva voce examination required for enrolment as advocates.

Senior lawyers Barrister Badruddoza Badal and Barrister M Ashraful Islam represented the petitioners during the hearing.

The case stems from a writ petition filed by 632 candidates challenging the Bar Council’s decision to cancel the review result published on November 18, 2024.

On November 24 last year, the Bar Council decided to revoke the first review result and reassess the answer scripts of all candidates who had sought review of their written examination results.

Following the re-evaluation, a second review result was published, and candidates who passed under that process were allowed to appear in the viva examination.

The petitioners argued that the cancellation of the first review result and subsequent re-evaluation unfairly deprived many successful candidates of their opportunity to proceed to the final stage of enrolment.

With the latest ruling, those candidates who were declared successful in the first review but later excluded after the second review will now be eligible to take part in the viva examination, paving the way for their enrolment process to continue.