Court halts recruitment test of Sonali, Rupali, Janata banks

The High Court has halted the written test to recruit officers for nationalised Sonali, Rupali and Janata commercial banks.

The bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan ordered the halt to the tests on Sunday after hearing a writ petition challenging last year’s job circulars issued by eight banks in different times.

Lawyers said the order means the written test scheduled for Jan 12 to recruit senior officers, officers and cash officers for the three banks has been postponed.

Advocates Rashidul Haque Khokan, Tanzim Al Islam and Mirza Sultan Al Raja stood for the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Motahar Hossain Saju argued for the State.

Khokan told bdnews24.com that Sonali Bank issued a circular to recruit 701 officers and cash officers on Feb 22, 2016 to fill up vacant posts.

The same year, Rupali Bank issued another circular to fill out 423 vacant posts of senior officer on July 26 and Janata Bank sought to appoint 736 assistant executive officers on Aug 3.

But the Bangladesh Bank on Aug 23 last year published a circular for recruiting senior officers (general) to these banks, declaring 1,663 vacancies.

On Aug 29, it advertised 3,463 jobs in six state-run banks and financial institutions.

It again published a notice on Sept 7 on appointment of 2,246 cash officers.  

The central bank set Jan 12 as the date for the written tests for all the notices published in 2017.

But 28 aspirants, who had applied for the jobs following the notices in 2016, filed the writ petition seeking cancellation of the 2017 circulars that were issued before their tests.

The High Court ordered a stop to the recruitment tests of all circulars issued in 2017 and a freeze on the process after hearing the petition, lawyer Khokan said.

It also issued a set of rules asking the authorities why the job circulars issued in 2017 should not declared illegal and why it should not order that the tests of the 2016 circulars be held before those of the 2017.

The Bangladesh Bank, the finance secretary, Bankers’ Selection Committee chairman and member secretary have been asked to respond to the rules within four weeks.

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