The protestors who have been waging a movement against the quota system in government jobs could place their logic before the court, said law minister Anisul Huq Monday.
He said the protestors could appoint a lawyer to represent them at the court. The court would hear them and serve justice.
The law minister said this to Prothom Alo over the phone in the afternoon.
Speaking about the movement, the law minister said those who are against the quota system did not have any lawyer during the hearing of the matter in court. They could not put forth their logic. Now the case has gone to the Appellate Division. They could appoint a lawyer at the Appellate Division.
There was a 56 per cent quota for direct recruitment in government jobs until 2018 – 30 per cent for freedom fighters, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for backward districts and 5 per cent for ethnic minorities, and 1 per cent quota for physically disabled persons.
That year, Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad took to the streets demanding the reform of quota and slashed it to 10 per cent.
At one stage of the movement, the government cancelled the quota from 9th to 13th grade (Class I and II) in government jobs.
The public administration ministry issued a circular on 4 October that year abolishing the quota system.
However, in 2021, seven children of freedom fighters, including Ohidul Islam, filed a writ with the High Court challenging the abolition of the freedom fighters’ quota for government jobs.
After a primary hearing the court issued a rule. Later, holding a final hearing on the writ, the High Court on 5 June declared the circular abolishing freedom fighters’ quota illegal.
The state filed a petition seeking a stay of this verdict, which was placed at the chamber court on 9 June. On that day, the chamber court set 4 July for hearing the petition in full bench of the Appellate Division.
But the court ordered “not today” on 4 July as the writ petitioner appealed for time. Alongside, the state was asked to file a leave to appeal plea.
However, students and job aspirants have been waging a movement from 1 July demanding reinstatement of the circular of 2018 revoking quota system in government jobs.