The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed Thursday for delivering its verdict on a set of appeals challenging the High Court judgment that partially declared the Constitution (15th Amendment) Act, 2011 unconstitutional.

A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury set the date after concluding three consecutive days of hearings.

The appeals stem from a High Court verdict delivered in response to a public interest litigation writ petition filed by Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), which challenged the legality of the 15th amendment.

Among the appellants are Shujan, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Gono Forum and several other parties and individuals.

Shujan has sought the annulment of the entire 15th amendment, arguing that it fundamentally altered key constitutional provisions. Other appellants, however, have urged the Appellate Division not to rule on several issues, contending that they involve legislative and policy matters that should be decided by Parliament rather than the judiciary.

The 15th amendment, enacted in 2011, abolished the non-party caretaker government system for conducting parliamentary elections, restored secularism as a fundamental principle of state policy while retaining Islam as the state religion, and introduced several other constitutional changes.

The demand for a non-party caretaker government emerged in the 1990s to ensure free and credible parliamentary elections. The system was later incorporated into the Constitution through the Thirteenth Amendment following broad political consensus.