The High Court has declared the Bangladesh Bar Council's decision to cancel the first review results of the written exam for lawyer enrollment as illegal. A bench comprising Justices Khizir Ahmed Chowdhury and Md. Ziaul Haque delivered the verdict on Wednesday. The court ruled that the Bar Council's decision to cancel the first review results and conduct a second review was unlawful. The court also directed that candidates who passed the first review but failed the second should be allowed to take the oral exam within a reasonable time.
Background of the Case
The Bar Council conducted a written exam for lawyer enrollment on June 28 last year, with the results announced on October 25. Out of the 7,917 candidates who passed, 1,914 passed the first review on November 18. However, on November 23, the Bar Council issued an urgent notification canceling the first review results and announced a second review, with results published on March 5 this year. 632 candidates who passed the first review but failed the second filed separate writ petitions challenging the decision.
Legal Proceedings
Senior lawyers M Badruddin Badol, M Ashraful Islam, and others represented the petitioners, while senior lawyer Anik Are Haque represented the Bar Council, and Deputy Attorney General Saifuzzaman Tuhin represented the state. After the final hearing, the High Court issued the ruling declaring the Bar Council's decision unlawful.
