The hearing on four review petitions regarding the Supreme Court’s verdict that nullified the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, which introduced the caretaker government system, has been postponed. The Appellate Division, led by Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam, scheduled the hearing for February 9 after granting a time extension requested by the petitioners. The petitions were filed by the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, five prominent citizens, and an individual seeking a review of the verdict.

Senior lawyer Zainul Abedin, representing the BNP, stated, “The petition pertains to the caretaker system. The 15th Amendment, which replaced it, was addressed in the High Court verdict, but we have yet to receive the full text of the judgment.” In response, the court advised addressing these matters when the case comes up and asked the petitioners to clarify their requests.

Another senior BNP lawyer, Md. Ruhul Quddus, requested two weeks to prepare, citing the need for the High Court’s full verdict on the 15th Amendment. The court subsequently set February 9 for the hearing.

The review petition was listed 13th on Sunday’s cause list under the Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed. The hearing had previously been scheduled for January 19, following an earlier postponement on December 1.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir filed the review petition on October 16, with Sujan’s Secretary Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar filing a similar petition earlier on August 27. Jamaat-e-Islami also filed a review petition, and the court decided to hear all petitions together.

The 13th Amendment, introducing the caretaker government system, was passed by Parliament in 1996. Its legality was challenged in a writ petition filed by three lawyers, including M. Salim Ullah. On May 10, 2011, the Appellate Division declared the amendment unconstitutional and nullified it.