Bangladesh top court scraps most job quotas
The Supreme Court's Appellate Division directed that 93% of government jobs in the country should be open to candidates on merit
Published: 02:07 PM,Jul 21,2024 | EDITED : 06:07 PM,Jul 21,2024
Bangladeshi soldiers and Rapid Action Battalion stand guard at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, in Dhaka. — AFP
DHAKA: Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Sunday scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that had sparked nationwide protests by students that have killed at least 114 people in recent days. Dismissing a lower court order, the Supreme Court's Appellate Division directed that 93% of government jobs in the country should be open to candidates on merit, Bangladesh Attorney General A.M. Amin Uddin said.
'Students have clearly said they are in no way part of the violence and arson that have taken place in Bangladesh since Monday,' he said. 'I am hoping normalcy will return after today's ruling and people with ulterior motives will stop instigating people,' Amin Uddin said. 'I will ask the government to find out the culprits behind the violence and take strict action against them.'
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but the lower court reinstated it last month, pegging total quotas at 56%, sparking the protests and an ensuing government crackdown.
Soldiers have been patrolling the streets of capital Dhaka, where army check points have been set up, after the government ordered a curfew late on Friday.
Streets near the Supreme Court were quiet immediately after the decision, a witness said. A military tank was stationed outside the court's gate, television footage showed.
Local media had reported scattered clashes earlier in the day between protesters and security forces. Overseas telephone calls mostly failed to connect while websites of Bangladesh-based media organisations did not update and their social media accounts remained inactive.
The government extended the curfew as authorities braced for the Supreme Court hearing on the job quotas. The curfew until 3 p.m. on Sunday was to resume for an 'uncertain time' after a two-hour break for people to gather supplies.
The Supreme Court directed the government to cut the job quotas for families of independence fighters to 5%, the attorney general said. The remaining 2% of jobs still subject to quotas are for people from so-called backward groups and the disabled, he added. The demonstrations have also been fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the population. High living costs sparked deadly protests in Bangladesh last year, months after it turned to the International Monetary Fund for a $4.7 billion bailout. — Reuters
'Students have clearly said they are in no way part of the violence and arson that have taken place in Bangladesh since Monday,' he said. 'I am hoping normalcy will return after today's ruling and people with ulterior motives will stop instigating people,' Amin Uddin said. 'I will ask the government to find out the culprits behind the violence and take strict action against them.'
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but the lower court reinstated it last month, pegging total quotas at 56%, sparking the protests and an ensuing government crackdown.
Soldiers have been patrolling the streets of capital Dhaka, where army check points have been set up, after the government ordered a curfew late on Friday.
Streets near the Supreme Court were quiet immediately after the decision, a witness said. A military tank was stationed outside the court's gate, television footage showed.
Local media had reported scattered clashes earlier in the day between protesters and security forces. Overseas telephone calls mostly failed to connect while websites of Bangladesh-based media organisations did not update and their social media accounts remained inactive.
The government extended the curfew as authorities braced for the Supreme Court hearing on the job quotas. The curfew until 3 p.m. on Sunday was to resume for an 'uncertain time' after a two-hour break for people to gather supplies.
The Supreme Court directed the government to cut the job quotas for families of independence fighters to 5%, the attorney general said. The remaining 2% of jobs still subject to quotas are for people from so-called backward groups and the disabled, he added. The demonstrations have also been fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the population. High living costs sparked deadly protests in Bangladesh last year, months after it turned to the International Monetary Fund for a $4.7 billion bailout. — Reuters