Bangladesh Supreme Court Scraps Job Quotas that Sparked Riots, Deaths

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that triggered student protests and rioting that claimed at least 114 lives.

The apex court of Bangladesh dismissed a lower court order that had reinstated the quotas. The court ordered that 93% of government jobs in Bangladesh will be open to candidates on merit, without quotas.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but the lower court reinstated it last month, which led to the deadly protests.

The Supreme Court directed the Bangladesh government to cut the job quotas for families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan to 5% from 30%, local media reported. The remaining 2% of jobs still subject to quotas are for people from so-called backward groups and the disabled, the reports said.

Meanwhile, the curfew throughout Bangladesh is to continue for an “uncertain time”, local media reported.