SC upholds 75pc quota for admin cadre at deputy secy level

24 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday upheld the existing rules keeping 75 percent quota for the administration cadre of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) reserved for recruitment and promotion to the post of deputy secretary. The apex court also declared illegal the rules keeping 70 percent quota from the administration cadre for promotion in the posts of joint secretary, additional secretary, and secretary. An Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim delivered the verdict after disposing of an appeal filed by the government against a High Court (HC) verdict. The HC in 2002 in a verdict declared illegal the rules keeping 75 percent quota from the administration cadre reserved for the recruitment and promotion in the post of deputy secretary and the rest 25 percent quota from other cadres of the service for the same post. Additional Attorney General MK Rahman yesterday told The Daily Star that the existing rules keeping 75 percent quota from the administration cadre for the post of deputy secretary will remain effective. There will not be any quota system for the posts of joint secretary, additional secretary, and secretary from now on, he added. The government on February 10, 1998, issued the rules keeping 75 percent quota from the administration cadre reserved for the post of deputy secretary and the rest 25 percent quota from other cadres of the service for the same post. Following a writ petition jointly filed by Rabiul Islam of health cadre and Touhid Uddin Ahmed, the HC on February 13, 2002, delivered the verdict declaring the rules illegal. In the meantime in June 2002, the government issued another rule keeping 70 percent quota from the administration cadre for the posts of joint secretary, additional secretary, and secretary In 2003, the Appellate Division stayed the HC verdict following a government petition and asked it to file a regular appeal with the SC against the HC verdict. The writ petitioners later brought the latest promotion rules to the notice of the SC. Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam appeared for the government, while Barrister Ajmalul Hossain, Advocate Abdur Rob Chowdhury and Barrister Qamrul Islam Siddique argued for the writ petitioners.