The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has directed the government to re-publish the results of 46,199 candidates who appeared in the 2023 government primary school assistant teacher recruitment examinations for Dhaka and Chattogram divisions.
The court ordered that the results be reassessed on the basis of merit, in line with recent judicial decisions on the quota system.
A bench led by the Chief Justice delivered the verdict on Thursday while disposing of an appeal filed by the government.
The apex court also directed the authorities to appoint 151 candidates who had filed writ petitions challenging the previous recruitment process within 60 days.
Advocate Tajul Islam, counsel for the writ petitioners, said the 2023 recruitment examination was conducted under the previous quota system, under which 84 per cent of posts were reserved.
Following the July uprising, 151 candidates approached the High Court, arguing that the recruitment process should follow the Supreme Court’s revised policy, which provides for 93 per cent appointments based on merit.
The High Court had earlier declared the recruitment process illegal. However, the Appellate Division modified the decision and issued three directives in this regard.
Under the third directive, the court ruled that the appointments of 6,531 assistant teachers who have already joined their posts would remain valid in the interest of justice.
Advocate Islam said the verdict reinforces the implementation of the Supreme Court’s previous landmark ruling that prioritised merit-based recruitment over the earlier quota-focused system.
