The then Awami League government enacted the 15th Amendment, which contained sweeping changes to the Constitution, including abolishing the caretaker government system. Passed by Parliament on 30 June 2011, the amendment brought about 54 structural changes to the Constitution.
After the Awami League government was ousted from power in the July mass uprising, two separate writ petitions were filed in the High Court in 2024, challenging the validity of the entire 15th Amendment Act as well as several specific provisions of it.
After the final hearing, the High Court announced its verdict on 17 December 2025. The judgment declared sections 20 and 21 of the Amendment Act – which abolished the caretaker government and the referendum system – void.
Furthermore, the High Court ruled that Articles 7A, 7B, and 44(2), which were inserted into the Constitution through the 15th Amendment, were contradictory to the Constitution and consequently struck them down.
The full text of the High Court’s decision was published on July 8 last year. Against this decision, Shujan Secretary, along with three other prominent citizens and various parties, filed separate appeal-allowance petitions.