A review board formed to examine petitions from former army personnel who alleged discrimination and unjust dismissal has found around 850 applications to be justified after completing a multi-stage verification process, according to Defence Ministry sources.

Nearly 1,300 former soldiers who had been dismissed or discharged from service had applied seeking reinstatement, retrospective promotions, or financial and retirement benefits.

Sources at the Ministry of Defence said that in the first phase, about 350 applications were reviewed. Of these, the process of granting retrospective promotions or due service benefits has been completed for around 162 former soldiers who had been dismissed or discharged from the Bangladesh Army.

Several former army personnel have already begun receiving their retirement benefits, while the remaining eligible applicants will receive their entitlements in phases, the sources said.

The review board is currently processing another 500 applications that have already passed the initial screening.

According to the sources, every application was scrutinised through multiple stages of verification. The allegations and grounds on which the applicants’ services had originally been terminated were also re-examined before determining their eligibility for reinstatement or benefits.