The hearing on three review appeals regarding the caretaker government system has been postponed until 17 November

The Appellate Division has scheduled 17 November for the hearing of three appeals filed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and prominent citizens, seeking a review of the verdict that abolished the caretaker government system.

A six-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, made the decision on Thursday. On 10 May 2011, a seven-member Appellate Division bench had canceled the 13th amendment, which had reintroduced the caretaker government, based on majority opinions. The court's decision came after an appeal against a High Court ruling on the matter.

Last week, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir filed an appeal for a review of this verdict. Earlier, Badiul Alam Majumder, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN), along with four other prominent citizens—Tofail Ahmed, M Hafizuddin Khan, Zobairul Haque Bhuiyan, and Zahra Rahman—also filed appeals seeking a review.

The chamber court of the Appellate Division initially scheduled a hearing for these appeals on 24 October, after receiving them on 20 October. Additionally, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar also submitted a review appeal against the same 2011 verdict.

The caretaker government system was introduced through the 13th amendment in 1996. In 1998, Supreme Court lawyer M Salimullah and others challenged the legality of this amendment through a writ petition. The High Court ruled in 2004 that the amendment was constitutional, allowing appeals against the verdict.

The Appellate Division’s verdict on 10 May 2011 eventually led to the Jatiya Sangsad passing the 15th amendment on 30 June 2011, abolishing the caretaker government system. A gazette notification followed on 3 July 2011.