The Supreme Court’s Appellate Division has scheduled May 18 for the next hearing on the review petition concerning the state’s Warrant of Precedence, which determines the hierarchy of important public officials. The six-member bench, headed by senior justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam, fixed the date following a hearing on Sunday, April 27. Senior lawyer Barrister Salauddin Dolon appeared on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary during the proceedings.

The Warrant of Precedence was originally formulated by the Cabinet Division in 1986 under the Rules of Business and was approved by the President before being officially issued on September 11 of that year. Over time, it underwent several amendments. However, concerns arose as many constitutional posts, recognized and defined by the Constitution itself, were ranked below administrative cadre officers. Challenging this, former General Secretary of the Bangladesh Judicial Service Association, Md. Ataur Rahman, filed a writ petition with the High Court in 2006 questioning its legality.

On February 4, 2010, the High Court ruled the 1986 Warrant of Precedence (as amended) to be illegal and void, issuing eight specific directives. In response, the state filed an appeal in 2011. Following hearings, the Appellate Division delivered its verdict on January 11, 2015, modifying the High Court’s directives into three points. These include: first, constitutional office holders must be given priority in cases of precedence disputes, as the Constitution is the supreme law of the land; second, district judges and their equivalents should be positioned alongside government secretaries at the 16th rank; and third, additional secretaries should follow district judges, occupying the 17th rank.

Later, the Bangladesh Judicial Service Association filed a review petition against the Appellate Division’s verdict. Deputy Attorneys General and Assistant Attorneys General subsequently joined the review proceedings as parties.