The Supreme Court today upheld a High Court order that issued a status quo on recruitment of 1,650 deputy assistant agriculture officers on charge of irregularities in application of the quota system in the appointment process.

A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain today upheld the order after dismissing two separate leave to appeal petitions filed by the government challenging the HC order.

Following a writ petition, the High Court on February 16 issued the status quo order for 30 days on recruitment of the officers whose results were published on January 17 this year.

The HC had issued the order and rule following a writ petition filed by 33 candidates, who passed the written test but could not pass the recruitment tests. They sought the court's order to conduct an inquiry into the allegation of irregularities.

The writ petitioners' lawyer Salahuddin Dolon had told The Daily Star today that the respondents could not recruit 1,650 candidates to the posts of deputy assistant agriculture officers for 30 days starting from February 16 when the HC passed the status quo order.

The High Court had also ordered respondents to explain within four weeks why they should not be directed to conduct an inquiry into the allegation of irregularities in applying quota system while publishing the final test results and to republish the results.

Secretaries to the ministries of agriculture and public administration, chairman of Bangladesh Public Service Commission and director general of Agricultural Extension Department were made respondents to the rule.