The High Court has declared making the civil servants officer on special duty (OSD) for more than 150 days illegal.
It also ordered the government to reinstate the officials who have been kept OSD for over 150 days to their posts.
The HC bench of justices Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and Sashanka Shekhar Sarkar handed the order after hearing a petition on Wednesday.
The top court also directed the public administration to form a panel headed by a senior secretary to determine the legal fate of the OSD officials who would be reinstated to their offices.
The panel was instructed to report to the top court through its registrar within 90 days after receiving the copy of the judgment.
Lawyer Annek R Haque represented the petitioner in the hearing while Deputy Attorney General Amit Dasgupta stood for the state.
Earlier in June 2012, former secretary Mohammad Asafuddowla filed a writ petition challenging the system of making civil servants OSD.
The petition stated that the government issued a circular on Oct 3, 1991, saying that a civil servant can be made OSD for 45 days to maximum 150 days.
It sought the top court's decision on the matter saying the circular is not being followed.
On May 13, 2019, the ministry of public administration submitted a report to the HC following a court order on the petition.
According to the report, the government has made as many as 3,605 civil servants OSD over the past nine years so far with a cost of over Tk 1.51 to the state exchequer.