Dhaka, Nov 21: Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the restoration of the non-partisan caretaker government system for overseeing elections, though the ruling will not apply to the upcoming general elections scheduled for February next year.The seven-member Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, “revived” the constitutional provision scrapped by the previous Awami League government under deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The verdict specifies phased implementation, leaving the February elections under the current interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus, while subsequent polls will operate under the restored caretaker system.
The caretaker government system was introduced in 1996 through the 13th constitutional amendment, enabling retired chief justices to oversee impartial elections. It facilitated widely accepted polls in 1996 and 2001, and in 2008, a military-backed interim government conducted peaceful elections.
Hasina’s Awami League government abolished the system, and subsequent elections under its rule faced allegations of manipulation, including boycotts by opposition parties like the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in 2014 and 2024.
The apex court invalidated a 2011 verdict that had rejected the caretaker system, terming it flawed.
Legal experts note that because Parliament was dissolved over a year ago, the caretaker government cannot be formed immediately but will oversee future elections, ensuring neutral and credible electoral processes.