Supreme Court upholds caretaker government system in full verdict

The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has published the full verdict of its Appellate Division upholding the caretaker government system in Bangladesh.

The 74-page judgment, authored by then Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refat Ahmed, was originally delivered on November 20 and was made publicly available on the court’s website on Sunday (March 15).

The caretaker government system was first introduced in 1996 through the 13th constitutional amendment during the BNP government, establishing a non-partisan interim administration to oversee elections. In 2011, the Appellate Division had declared the 13th amendment invalid, effectively abolishing the system during the Awami League government.

Following the fall of the Awami League government, the interim administration petitioned for a review of the 2011 verdict. The Supreme Court subsequently reinstated the caretaker government provision, declaring the 2011 nullification of the 13th amendment unlawful and restoring the non-partisan interim administration for election periods.