27th BCS: Appeal hearing on 1137 deprived candidates end, verdict Thursday

The Appellate Division has set Thursday as the date for its verdict on the appeal filed in favour of 1137 candidates who were deprived of their appointment in the 27th Bangladesh Civil Service examination.

The five-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed Wednesday fixed the date after hearing on three appeal pleas filed against an apex court verdict in this regard.

Earlier, on 11 July 2010, the Appellate Division pronounced a verdict upholding the High Court verdict that declared legally valid the decision to scrap the viva-voce exam in the 27th BCS for the first time.

As many as 140 in favour of 1,137 candidates filed a review petition of the SC verdict last year. Accepting the hearing on 7 November 2024, the court granted a leave to appeal plea. Later, three appeals were filed in this regard.

Senior lawyer Salah Uddin Dolon represented the appellants while additional attorney general Anik R Haque represented the state, and Mohammad Khalekuzzaman represented PSC in the court.

Senior lawyer Salah Uddin Dolon said the decision to conduct the second viva-voce exam in the 27th BCS was taken during the 1/11 government. At that time, the decision was taken that 1,137 candidates would enter the job after the final recommendation.

According to lawyers, a case was later filed in the High Court regarding the decision to conduct the second viva-voce.

On 3 July 2008, a High Court bench gave a verdict declaring the decision to cancel the results of the first viva-voce exam of the 27th BCS valid.

Later, on 11 November 2009, another bench of the High Court declared the second viva illegal.

Twenty five deprived candidates filed leave to appeals with the Appellate Division against the first verdict while the government filed three leave to appeals against the second verdict. Besides this, 205 people filed a writ petition in the High Court.

After making some observations, the Appellate Division disposed of the government’s leave to appeal and pronounced a verdict on 11 July 2010. The verdict said that it was right to conduct the second viva-voce examination.

The review petition was filed regarding that verdict.