Bangladesh Supreme Court Orders To Reduce Job Quotas After Massive Anti-Quota Protests

Bangladesh Supreme Court has ordered the government to scale back on the job quota but did not abolish it completely which the students demanded through massive 'Anti-quota' protests in the country.

The protests have resulted in the death of over 100 students and many more injured.

The Supreme court's Appellate Division overturned a decision from a lower court that had brought back the quotas last month.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin reportedly told the AFP news agency, “The Supreme Court has said the High Court verdict was illegal.”

Ruling on an appeal, the Supreme Court ordered that the veterans' quota be cut to 5 per cent, with 93 per cent of jobs to be allocated on merit. The remaining 2 per cent will be set aside for members of ethnic minorities and transgender and disabled people.

Bangladesh Student Protest Background

Protesters argue the quota system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, saying it should be replaced with a merit-based system.

Hasina has defended the quota system, saying that veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions in the war against Pakistan, regardless of their political affiliation.

Representatives from both sides met late Friday in an attempt to reach a resolution and Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government was open to discussing their demands. In addition to quota reform, the demands included the reopening of university dormitories and for some university officials to step down after failing to protect campuses.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has backed the protests, vowing to organize its own demonstrations as many of its supporters have joined the student-led protests. However, BNP said in a statement its followers were not responsible for the violence and denied the ruling party's accusations of using the protests for political gains.

The Awami League and the BNP have often accused each other of fuelling political chaos and violence, most recently ahead of the country's national election, which was marred by a crackdown on several opposition figures. Hasina's government had accused the opposition party of attempting to disrupt the vote.

(With AP Inputs)