A writ petition was filed with the High Court today challenging Bangladesh Bar Council's decision to not allow candidates, who passed the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) test in 2017 but failed the written test, to appear for the written test again to enroll as lawyers.

Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, a Supreme Court lawyer, submitted the writ petition as a public interest litigation to the HC through email, seeking a stay on the Bangladesh Bar Council decision.

In the petition, he prayed to the HC to direct the Bar Council, the highest statutory body to regulate the lawyers of the country, to allow the 3,590 candidates who passed the MCQ test but failed in the written test in 2017, to participate in the upcoming written test, scheduled for September 26.

Citing the writ petition, Manir told The Daily Star that the Bangladesh Bar Council said in a 2018 circular that the candidates, who succeeded in the MCQ test but failed in the written test in 2017, need not qualify for the fresh MCQ test to appear in the next written test.

But on July 26, the councilissued a circular saying that the candidates who failed the written test once cannot participate in the upcoming written test, which is illogical as it contradicts the previous decision, the lawyer said.

Manir said the council's latest decision is in violation of the law and constitution.

He hoped that the HC may hold a hearing on the petition this week.