Quota: Court will do justice hearing all parties, says law minister

Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq stated on Tuesday the agitators who are opposing quotas in public service have applied to be a party in the ongoing quota case appeal.

He expressed confidence that the Appellate Division would deliver a just verdict after hearing all parties involved.

"We hope that the Appellate Division will do justice after hearing the statements of all parties," the minister said in response to questions from reporters at the secretariat on Tuesday.

Regarding the government's stance on the quota movement, the law minister clarified, "The Prime Minister has made it very clear that the government's decision does not matter now, as the issue of quota is with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will decide, and they will make the right decision after listening to all parties."

Addressing the public suffering caused by road blockades from the agitators, he noted that several ministers held a meeting on this issue. He added, "I have now heard that the anti-quota agitators have applied to be a party to the case in the Appellate Division. Their petition will probably be heard tomorrow. This indicates they are taking the correct legal route. When the case was initially filed in the High Court Division, the anti-quota movement did not have any legal representation to present their case. Now, they have no lawyer to present their case in the Appellate Division either."

Anisul emphasised that legal matters should be resolved in court, not through street protests, which could lead to contempt of court. "The right place to resolve this issue is in court. If they present their case in court, the Appellate Division will hear all parties and do justice. That is our hope and expectation."

He further commented on the recent developments, "I see today that they have taken a positive step by deciding to present their case in court. I applaud this move. Now they will give their statement in court, and I hope that they will withdraw their agitation."

When asked about some government officials labeling the anti-quota movement as irrational and whether this could influence the court, the law minister refrained from commenting. "I will not say anything about what may happen in this case as it is sub-judice. As a law minister, I have said as much as I need to say. Court matters should be discussed in court, not on the street. Now that they have taken a step to go to court, my speech ends here. The court will handle the rest," he concluded.