BNP submits review petition to restore caretaker govt provision

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has submitted a review petition to the country’s apex court seeking restoration of the provision for the caretaker government system in the constitution.

On behalf of the party, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir submitted the petition at the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division on Wednesday.

At the same time a complaint has been filed against former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque with the court, Supreme Court lawyer Shishir Monir told newsmen.

Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum President Zainal Abedin will give details of the petition at a press conference at the Supreme Court Bar Auditorium at 1:30pm Thursday.

Earlier, on 25 August, five prominent citizens also applied for the same review.

On 10 May 2011, the Appellate Division declared the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, related to the caretaker government system, null and void.

A six-judge bench of the Appellate Division headed by the then Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque announced the verdict.

In 1996, the system of caretaker government was added to the constitution through the Thirteenth Amendment. Since then, at the end of the term of an elected government, elections were held under a caretaker government to form the next government.

In 2004, several lawyers including Advocate M Salim Ullah filed a writ challenging the validity of the Thirteenth Amendment. At that time, the High Court ruled that the caretaker government system was valid.