The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed a High Court verdict, which had paved the way for the Awami League government to declare Joy聽 Bangla as the national slogan on March 2, 2022.
The High Court verdict was delivered on March 10, 2020.
A four-member bench of the apex court, chaired by chief justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, also granted the government permission to appeal against the High Court decision.
The stay order came after hearing a petition filed by the cabinet secretary, who sought leave to appeal and requested a suspension of the High Court鈥檚 judgment.
The petition followed the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5.
Additional attorney general Aneek R Haque, representing the state, argued that determining a national slogan was a policy matter under the jurisdiction of the government, and the High Court overstepped its authority by issuing a directive on such a matter.
Speaking to journalists after the hearing, Aneek said, 鈥楯oy Bangla can no longer be recognised as the national slogan.鈥�
The High Court verdict was pronounced by the bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Khizir Hayat on March 10, 2020, in response to a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Bashir Ahmed.
In his petition, Bashir had contended that Joy Bangla was the slogan predominantly used during the nine-month War of Independence in 1971.