Mohivvullah :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has scheduled tomorrow for the final verdict on appeals filed by 1,137 candidates who were denied appointments in the 27th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) recruitment process.
A five-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, made the announcement after a hearing today. Senior Advocate Salahuddin Dolon represented the petitioners, while Additional Attorney General Aneek R Haque appeared for the state. Senior lawyers Jainul Abedeen and Barrister M Ruhul Quddus Kajol were also present on behalf of the candidates.
Background of the Case
The controversy dates back to 2007, when the Public Service Commission (PSC) cancelled the results of the first oral test for the 27th BCS, citing irregularities and corruption. The PSC then conducted a second viva voce.
A total of 3,567 candidates had initially passed the first oral examination. However, Monir Hossain and several others challenged the cancellation through a writ petition. On July 3, 2008, the High Court upheld the PSC’s decision, validating the first test’s cancellation, which led to the second oral test.
Subsequently, the petitioners filed a leave-to-appeal with the Appellate Division. Meanwhile, in 2008, another High Court bench ruled the second oral test illegal on November 11, 2009. The government then filed a leave-to-appeal against this ruling.
On July 11, 2010, a six-member Appellate Division bench, led by then Chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim, upheld the High Court’s ruling, confirming the validity of the first oral test’s cancellation. At the same time, the government’s leave-to-appeal against the ruling on the second oral test was resolved with certain observations.
With the final verdict due tomorrow, the ruling is expected to bring an end to a nearly two-decade-long legal battle over the 27th BCS recruitment process.
