The student unions of four major universities today (2 December) urged the government to ensure merit-based recruitment in all jobs and to end harassment in the name of police verification.

The student unions of Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Jahangirnagar universities expressed deep concern over the exclusion of 13 candidates from the gazette of the 17th Bangladesh Judicial Service (BJS) examination through police verification without citing any reason, despite 102 candidates having qualified in the final stage.

According to the student unions, even after the July Uprising, depriving meritorious candidates—who have passed all stages of the recruitment process—of government jobs based solely on their family or ancestral political background in the name of police verification is entirely contradictory to the Constitution, a neutral administrative system and the fundamental principles of good governance.

The statement said that among the 102 meritorious candidates recommended in the final results of the BJS exam, 13 were excluded from the appointment gazette through police verification without any specific explanation. Depriving a qualified and capable candidate of the right to employment through such a process is against the Constitution and good governance. Recruitment for BJS, BCS and all other jobs must be based solely on merit and qualification.

The statement urged the Ministry of Law, the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission and other relevant authorities to publish a revised gazette for the 17th BJS without delay if no evidence of criminal wrongdoing is found against the excluded candidates.

It further stated that merit and qualification must be established as the sole criteria for recruitment in all jobs, including BJS and BCS.

The student unions also called for an end to unnecessary harassment in the name of police verification. They said that if anyone is to be excluded from the gazette, authorities must clearly state the specific reason and provide the excluded candidates an opportunity to present their explanation. If a candidate can satisfactorily respond to the allegations, they must be included in the gazette as soon as possible—without any form of harassment.