Bangladesh top court scraps job quotas that caused deadly unrest

Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Sunday scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that have sparked student-led protests in which at least 114 people have been killed in the South Asian country, local media reported.

The court's Appellate Division dismissed a lower court order that had reinstated the quotas, directing that 93% of government jobs will be open to candidates on merit, without quotas, the reports said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but the lower court reinstated it last month, sparking the protests and an ensuing government crackdown.

It was not immediately clear how the protesters would react to the decision.

Streets near the Supreme Court were quiet immediately after the decision and army teams were deployed throughout the capital Dhaka, the reports said.

Local media had reported scattered clashes earlier in the day between protesters and security forces.

The government had extended a curfew as authorities braced for the Supreme Court hearing on the job quotas. Soldiers were on patrol on the streets of capital Dhaka, the centre of the demonstrations that spiralled into clashes between protesters and security forces.

Internet and text message services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday, cutting the nation off as police cracked down on protesters who defied a ban on public gatherings.

The curfew was extended to 3pm and was to continue for an "uncertain time" following a two-hour break for people to gather supplies, local media reported.