12 HC judges relieved of judicial functions

A total of 12 High Court division judges of the Supreme Court have been dropped from all types of judicial functions in the face of a student protest.

As such, the judges will not get any bench in the reopening of the higher court on October 20.

Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed made the decision on Wednesday after several hundred anti-discrimination students besieged the HC compound seeking removal of the judges who acted as allies of the fascist regime.

"Primarily, it has been decided not to allocate any bench to 12 HC division judges, meaning they can't participate in any judicial functions in the reopening of the court on October 20," said Supreme Court registrar general Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan.

He made the announcement in front of the student protesters on the SC premises. The agitating students postponed the movement till Sunday.

Sources said Justice Naima Haider, Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar, Justice SM Maniruzzaman, Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman, Justice Khizir Hayat, Justice Md Atoar Rahman, Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman, Justice Md Aminul Islam, Justice SM Masud Hossain Dolon, Justice Shahed Nuruddin and two others were relieved of judicial functions.

Earlier in the day, the CJ invited the judges, who allegedly worked as aides of the fascist regime, for having tea. Six of them responded to his invitation.

At the briefing, the SC registrar general further said that the pending review petition regarding the removal of SC judges and others would be heard on October 20 on a priority basis.

"There is a legal process to remove a High Court judge. But now, there has been a vacuum regarding the issue. The previous government took an initiative to remove SC judges through parliament. Later, the HC cancelled that amendment. The government then filed a review petition against the HC verdict. It will be heard on October 20 at the apex court bench, led by the chief justice. We hope it will start the next processes."

"The President is the recruiting authority of SC judges. His office is also the authority of removing them or accepting resignation from them. Here, the chief justice has done what he can do in his capacity," added Mr Bhuiyan.

Earlier, hundreds of students under the banner of 'Anti-discrimination Student Movement' laid siege to the HC premises at 11:30 am, seeking removal of the judges in question.

Besides, a group of lawyers under the banner of 'Anti-discrimination Lawyers Society' also staged a demonstration on the SC premises, demanding resignation of 'partisan and corrupt' judges.

Amid those programmes, information was circulated that the chief justice invited 12 judges to a tea. Later, the registrar general informed that the judges would not be allocated any bench after the court's reopening.

Md Sarjis Alam, one of the central coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, told the FE that fascist Hasina's accomplices who held different posts in the lower and higher judiciary by flattery must be removed.

"How dare they are! They chant slogans in the name of Hasina," he uttered.

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