The Supreme Court Ruling on Government Job Quotas in Bangladesh
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh made a significant decision by reducing the number of government jobs reserved for war veterans and their descendants. This ruling came after violent student protests led to more than 100 deaths and brought the country to a standstill.
According to the court’s orders, only 5 percent of government jobs will now be reserved for the children and grandchildren of those who fought for Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. This is a drastic decrease from the previous quota of 30 percent for this group.
The court ruling also includes the reduction of quotas for other groups, eliminating quotas for women and individuals from specific districts. The quota for ethnic minorities was reduced to 1 percent from 5 percent, while the 1 percent reserved for persons with disabilities remains unchanged.
Overall, the ruling reduces the number of reserved jobs from 56 percent to 7 percent, creating more opportunities for university students who protested against the previous system’s unfairness and demanded reform.
Since July 1, students have been protesting the reinstatement of the quota system, which had been abolished in 2018 but reintroduced this year. The protests turned violent when the Awami League’s student wing attacked the protesters, leading to the government deploying police and paramilitary forces to control the situation. A curfew was declared, and the army was called in to suppress the protests.
The quota system was initially established by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh, to reward those who fought for independence. The system was expanded in 1997 and 2010 to include descendants of freedom fighters. However, students criticized it as unfair and demanded merit-based job allocations.
In June, the high court reinstated the quotas after descendants of freedom fighters presented their case. When protests erupted, the Supreme Court suspended the reinstatement pending a final ruling, which was issued on Sunday.
After delivering the verdict, the Supreme Court urged students to return to classes, signaling a resolution to the protests. Bangladesh’s Attorney General emphasized that with the students’ demands met, the protests should cease.
