Friday, 19 December, 2025
After almost two decades of prolonged legal proceedings, 673 candidates who were previously denied appointments through the 27th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination have finally been assigned to various civil service cadres.
On Thursday, the interim government appointed these candidates to entry-level positions across multiple cadres, over 18 years after the annulment of their preliminary viva results, in compliance with a court ruling.
The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification on Thursday confirming the appointments. The appointments follow an earlier recommendation made by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) on 5 November 2025.
According to the notification, the candidates have been appointed on condition with a salary scale of Taka 22,000–53,060 under the National Pay Scale 2015. The appointments will take effect retrospectively from the date of the first appointments of the 27th BCS batch to ensure the maintenance of seniority. The appointees will retain notional seniority from that date, though they will not be entitled to any financial benefits for the intervening period. The final determination of seniority will remain subject to the verdict of the Appellate Division.
The newly appointed officers have been instructed to join their designated offices under the relevant ministries or departments by 1 January. Failure to report by the stipulated date will be treated as a refusal to accept the appointment, resulting in cancellation of the appointment letter.
The Appellate Division had previously directed the appointment of 1,137 candidates who were left out after the cancellation of the 27th BCS viva results in 2007. Based on the PSC’s recommendations, 673 candidates have now been appointed.
The 27th BCS examination circular was published in 2005. Following the written examination, 3,567 candidates passed the viva. In 2007, the caretaker government annulled the viva results, citing allegations of irregularities and corruption. A fresh viva was held in July 2007, and the results were published in September 2008, after which 3,229 candidates from the second viva were appointed to government service.
Candidates who had passed the first viva challenged the cancellation in the High Court. On 3 July 2008, the court upheld the government’s decision to annul the first viva results. Twenty-five petitioners later filed leave to appeal in the Appellate Division.
Separately, on 11 November 2009, a High Court bench, acting on a writ petition filed by 205 candidates, declared the second viva invalid. The government filed three leave-to-appeal petitions against that verdict.
Finally, on 11 July 2010, a six-member full bench of the Appellate Division, headed by then Chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim, upheld the High Court’s verdict declaring the first viva of the 27th BCS invalid and disposed of the government’s appeals against the second viva ruling with certain observations.
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After almost two decades of prolonged legal proceedings, 673 candidates who were previously denied appointments through the 27th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination have finally been assigned to various civil service cadres.
On Thursday, the interim government appointed these candidates to entry-level positions across multiple cadres, over 18 years after the annulment of their preliminary viva results, in compliance with a court ruling.
The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification on Thursday confirming the appointments. The appointments follow an earlier recommendation made by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) on 5 November 2025.
According to the notification, the candidates have been appointed on condition with a salary scale of Taka 22,000–53,060 under the National Pay Scale 2015. The appointments will take effect retrospectively from the date of the first appointments of the 27th BCS batch to ensure the maintenance of seniority. The appointees will retain notional seniority from that date, though they will not be entitled to any financial benefits for the intervening period. The final determination of seniority will remain subject to the verdict of the Appellate Division.
The newly appointed officers have been instructed to join their designated offices under the relevant ministries or departments by 1 January. Failure to report by the stipulated date will be treated as a refusal to accept the appointment, resulting in cancellation of the appointment letter.
The Appellate Division had previously directed the appointment of 1,137 candidates who were left out after the cancellation of the 27th BCS viva results in 2007. Based on the PSC’s recommendations, 673 candidates have now been appointed.
The 27th BCS examination circular was published in 2005. Following the written examination, 3,567 candidates passed the viva. In 2007, the caretaker government annulled the viva results, citing allegations of irregularities and corruption. A fresh viva was held in July 2007, and the results were published in September 2008, after which 3,229 candidates from the second viva were appointed to government service.
Candidates who had passed the first viva challenged the cancellation in the High Court. On 3 July 2008, the court upheld the government’s decision to annul the first viva results. Twenty-five petitioners later filed leave to appeal in the Appellate Division.
Separately, on 11 November 2009, a High Court bench, acting on a writ petition filed by 205 candidates, declared the second viva invalid. The government filed three leave-to-appeal petitions against that verdict.
Finally, on 11 July 2010, a six-member full bench of the Appellate Division, headed by then Chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim, upheld the High Court’s verdict declaring the first viva of the 27th BCS invalid and disposed of the government’s appeals against the second viva ruling with certain observations.
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