Offices, courts reopen after five-day Durga Puja holiday

Government, semi-government, autonomous, semi-autonomous and private offices across Bangladesh reopened on Sunday, following a five-day holiday for Sharadiya Durga Puja.

Banks, financial institutions and courts have also resumed their regular activities after the extended break.

The government extended the holiday period this year for Sharadiya Durga Puja, allowing employees to enjoy five consecutive days off.

Meanwhile, the High Court Division of the Supreme Court has resumed judicial proceedings after a vacation of more than one and a half months. Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury has formed 57 benches to conduct hearings from today.

The chief justice's order in this regard was published on the Supreme Court website on Saturday.

“I hereby direct that the benches mentioned above be constituted to conduct judicial proceedings in the High Court Division from 10:30am on Sunday, October 25,” the order stated.

In a separate notice, the Supreme Court said the chief justice and judges of both divisions would meet the attorney general, the president and secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and other lawyers for a courtesy exchange on the first working day after the court vacation.

The meeting is scheduled to take place from 9:30am to 12:30pm on Sunday in the corridor in front of Courtroom No 1 of the Appellate Division.

Refreshments will be arranged for lawyers in the Supreme Court's Inner Courtyard, the garden adjacent to the main building. In view of the courtesy meeting, judicial proceedings in the High Court Division will begin at 2:30pm today, according to the notice.

The five-day holiday period comprised a special holiday by executive order on October 20 for Mahanabami, the scheduled public holiday on October 21 for Bijoya Dashami, an additional holiday declared by the government through an executive order on October 22, and the weekly holidays on Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24.

Although emergency service providers remained operational during the holiday, regular administrative and institutional activities have now resumed across the country.