The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has delivered a long-awaited verdict restoring the non-partisan caretaker government system to the Constitution, nearly 14 years after it was abolished.

A seven-member full bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed handed down the judgment on Thursday.

According to the ruling, the caretaker system will return and take effect from the 14th national election.

The bench had set today for delivering the verdict after completing hearings on 11 November.

Senior lawyers Zainul Abedin and Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajol argued for the BNP, while Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir appeared for Jamaat-e-Islami.

Senior lawyer Sharif Bhuiyan represented five eminent citizens, and Attorney General Asaduzzaman argued for the state. The hearing continued for 10 working days.

Both the appellants and the state argued that the caretaker government mechanism should be reinstated to safeguard democracy, noting that its abolition had deepened the country’s political crisis.

Reacting to the verdict, BNP lawyer Zainul Abedin said the ruling would restore people’s right to vote freely and strengthen democratic practice in the country.