DHAKA, Feb 25, 2025 (BSS) - The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) today ordered reinstating 85 upazila election officers, who were sacked by the then caretaker government in 2007, with all their benefits.
 
The five-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed pronounced the judgment, allowing separate pleas and a review petition filed by the appellants.
 
The apex court also ordered to give all the due benefits as per law to the families of the three election officials among the 85, who have died already. 
 
Senior advocate Salah Uddin Dolon moved the pleas for the appellants, while senior lawyers Prabir Niyogi and Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal argued for the review petition. Advocate Md Khalekuzzaman Bhuiyan took part in the hearing for the Election Commission and Additional Attorney General Aneek Rushd Haque stood for the state.
 
According to the case documents, 327 people were temporarily selected as upazila election officers through the Public Service Commission (PSC) on September 3, 2005. The caretaker government, however, in 2007 sacked 85 of them.
 
As the sacked officials filed a case against the order, the administrative tribunal on March 23, 2009, scrapped the case. The aggrieved persons later appealed against the judgment and the administrative appellate tribunal on April 12, 2010, ruled in their favour.
 
The state, however, filed four leave-to-appeal pleas against the tribunal's order. The Appellate Division Chamber Judge Court on April 29, 2010, stayed the administrative appellate tribunal's order and sent the matter to the Appellate Division full bench for further hearing.
 
The apex court on September 1, 2022, allowed the state appeals and cancelled the judgment of the administrative appellate tribunal, prompting the appellants to file five separate petitions, pleading to review the Appellate Division judgment.