Staff Correspondent:

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the government to reinstate 82, out of 85, upazila election officials, who were terminated 18 years back, to their jobs.
The apex court also asked the authorities concerned to give due benefits to the families of three others, who have died, as per the relevant law.
The 85 officials, who were appointed during the regime of the then alliance government of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, were terminated on 3 September 2007 during the regime of military-backed caretaker government on the grounds that they were appointed on political consideration.
On Tuesday a five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed delivered the judgement following an appeal and four separate review petitions challenging a verdict given by the apex court on 1 September 2022.