The top court scales back – but does not abolish – a contentious quota system that sparked deadly protests.
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that led to student-led protests in which more than 100 people have been killed, according to local media.
The court’s Appellate Division dismissed a lower court order that had reinstated the quotas last month.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told the AFP news agency: “The Supreme Court has said the High Court verdict was illegal.”
He added that 5 percent of civil service jobs would remain reserved for children of independence war veterans and 2 percent for other categories. Previously, 30 percent of the jobs were reserved for the relatives of war veterans.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government scrapped the quota system in 2018, but the lower court reinstated it last month, sparking deadly protests and an ensuing government crackdown.
The verdict comes after weeks of demonstrations — mostly led by students — against the quota system they believe is discriminatory.
Protesters argued the quota system benefits supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, saying it should be replaced with a merit-based system.
Hasina defended the quota system, saying that veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions in the war against Pakistan, regardless of their political affiliation.
Last week the protests grew increasingly violent, with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets and hurling smoke grenades to scatter the activists who filled the streets and university campuses.
On Friday a crowd of thousands besieged a prison in the central district of Narsingdi armed with machetes and steel rods, freeing more than 800 prisoners before setting part of the facility ablaze.
The demonstrations are the biggest to rock Bangladesh since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected to a fourth successive term this year.
Full curfew
To restore calm, Bangladesh imposed a full curfew ahead of the High Court ruling, which is to remain in place until at least 3pm (09:00 GMT) Sunday. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the curfew would be eased for two hours between 3pm to 5pm (09:00-11:00 GMT) for people to stock up on supplies before continuing for an “uncertain time”.
The government also cut of phone and internet connections, creating an “information blackout”, reported Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowohury from the capital Dhaka.
The harsh crackdown has fuelled even more anger towards the government, pushing protesters to move beyond calling for quota reform to demanding the whole government’s resignation.
“It’s not just the issue of quotas right now. Many people died. Property was destroyed. And there’s an information blackout,” Chowohury told Al Jazeera.
“We still don’t know the full account of the death toll and casualties from the last few days.”
‘At a crossroads’
Ali Riaz, professor and political scientist at Illinois State University, said the protest movement has “transformed” into an existential threat for the government, which has called on protesters to await the outcome of today’s verdict.
“Bangladesh is standing at a crossroads,” Riaz told Al Jazeera. “I think the government will survive politically speaking… on the other hand if the protesters can persevere, they might actually push the government to resign.”
It was not immediately clear how protesters would react to the court’s decision.
Hasina’s government has declared Sunday and Monday as public holidays, with only emergency services allowed to operate.