The Appellate Division's status quo order on the High Court's verdict of declaring the cancellation of the quota system invalid is nothing but a farce, said Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Coordinator Sarjis Alam.
"Our demand is to the executive branch of the government. But what the court is doing is delaying, adjourning, a month, two months, a week, these are the extremes of farce," he said while protesting at the capital's Shahbagh area on Wednesday (10 July).
When asked about the next steps of the movement, he said, "We will all sit together and decide the next step based on the opinions of the students all over Bangladesh."
"Previously announced programme will continue," he added.
The Appellate Division has issued a stay order on the verdict given by the High Court declaring the decision to cancel the freedom fighter quota system in the first and second class of government jobs as invalid.
A five-judge appellate bench led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan passed the order on Wednesday (10 July).
The circular issued by the government in 2018 cancelling the 30% quota for the children of freedom fighters will remain in effect due to the stay order, lawyers said.
University students have been holding sit-ins, organising marches and blocking roads and highways, demanding the reinstatement of the 2018 quota cancellation circular since 2 June.
The 2018 rounds of quota reform protests were called off when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the abolition of the system in April of the same year.
However, the High Court on 5 June of this year ordered the government to retain the 30% freedom fighter quota in government jobs.
It also declared the circular issued on 4 October 2018 cancelling the quota system as illegal.
Following the verdict, students announced their non-stop movement.
Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan urged the agitating students protesting against the quota system to stop their movement and return to their respective educational institutions after announcing the verdict.
Earlier, Appellate Division Chamber Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam fixed 10 July for the hearing on the issue.
Two students of Dhaka University applied for a stay of the High Court verdict.
