Bangladesh Protests: Judiciary Reduces “Quotas” While Students Continue
After days of bloody unrest and protests, Bangladesh‘s judiciary has reduced the quota system in public jobs.
On Sunday, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh ruled to reduce the system after its reinstatement last month sparked unrest that shook the country and resulted in 151 deaths.
Attorney General Abu Muhammad Aminuddin told AFP, “The Supreme Court has declared that the judicial decision issued last month to reimpose the quota system is illegal.”
Details of the decision
He explained that only 5% of public jobs would remain reserved for the children of veterans from the 1971 War of Independence, down from the previous 30%.
Additionally, 1% of public jobs will be allocated to tribal groups, and 1% to individuals with disabilities or citizens who identify themselves as of a third social gender according to Bangladesh law.
The remaining 93% of public jobs will be granted based on merit, according to the court ruling.
The Supreme Court urged protesting students to “return to the classrooms,” according to lawyer Shah Haq, who represents the students in the lawsuit seeking to abolish the quota system.
Protests will continue
Despite the court’s decision to reduce the controversial quotas, the group “Students of Bangladesh Against Discrimination,” which organized the demonstrations, announced that they would not halt their protests despite the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The group’s spokesperson told AFP, requesting anonymity, “We will not stop our protests until the government issues an order that reflects our demands.”
