The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has set November 20 to deliver its verdict on the appeals seeking the restoration of the caretaker government system during the election period.

The date was fixed on Tuesday during the 10th day of hearing before the full seven-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed.

Earlier on November 6, Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman concluded the state’s arguments, saying the verdict that annulled the caretaker government system “struck at the very foundation of the society” and “damaged constitutional institutions.” He said the nation witnessed “unreal events” like “dead people casting votes at night.”

On August 27, the Appellate Division granted leave to appeal against the 2011 verdict that scrapped the caretaker system. Subsequently, five eminent citizens — including Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar — along with BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Prof Mia Golam Porwar filed separate appeals.

The hearings on the appeals began on October 21, continuing on October 22, 23, 28, 29 and November 2, 4, 5, and 6.

The caretaker government system was incorporated into the Constitution through the 13th Amendment passed by Parliament in 1996. Its legality was first challenged in 1998 by three lawyers, including Advocate M Salimullah. In 2004, the High Court dismissed the petition and upheld the system as valid.

However, in 2011, following appeals filed in 2005, a seven-member bench of the Appellate Division — by a majority opinion — declared the 13th Amendment unconstitutional, effectively abolishing the caretaker system.

Subsequently, Parliament passed the 15th Amendment on June 30, 2011, formalising the abolition, and the gazette was published on July 3 the same year.

After the change of government on August 5, 2024, five eminent citizens — Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Tofail Ahmed, M Hafizuddin Khan, Zobairul Haque Bhuiyan, and Zahra Rahman — filed a review petition seeking reinstatement of the caretaker system.

In addition, freedom fighter Md Mofazzal Hossain from Raninagar in Naogaon, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir (on October 16, 2024), and Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Prof Mia Golam Porwar (on October 23, 2024) filed separate review petitions challenging the 2011 verdict.