Bangladesh Quota Protest: The Bangladesh Supreme Court on Sunday ordered that the quota system for civil service job applicants be scaled back. The top court however refrained from abolishing the reservation given to children of liberation war veterans. Bangladesh has been witnessing deadly protests over the country's reservation policy, which was reintroduced by a high court last month.

"The Supreme Court has said the High Court verdict was illegal," news agency AFP quoted attorney-general A M Amin Uddin as saying. He further stated that the children of independence war veterans will receive five per cent quota in civil service jobs while two per cent jobs have been reserved for other categories.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh directed that 93 per cent of government jobs will be open to candidates based on merit, without quotas, news agency Reuters cited local media reports.

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What Is Happening In Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been rocked by protests over a quota system which provides reservation to children of freedom fighters who took part in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government had scrapped the quota system in the year 2018, but it was reinstated by a lower court last month to allow 30 per cent reservation to relatives of war veterans. The lower court's decision triggered massive demonstrations. 

The protests, which broke out on July 1, turned violent following a government crackdown, leading to the death of over 130 people. The government imposed a curfew in the country while also issuing a shoot-on-sight order as anti-quota stir spiralled out of control.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) stand guard outside the state-owned Bangladesh Television as violence erupts after anti-quota protests by students, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 19, 2024. (REUTERS)

Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing, the Bangladesh government had extended a curfew as authorities braced for the court order. Soldiers were deployed to patrol the streets of Dhaka. The country's capital city has been at the heart of the student protests which led to clashes with security forces.

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A clampdown was also imposed on internet and text message services, starting Thursday and protesters defying ban on public gathering faced the wrath of the police.

(With inputs from agencies)