Govt given five more weeks to free judiciary

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The process of completing separation of the magistracy from the executive control apparently hit fresh bureaucratic hassles as government sought more time from the Supreme Court to do it, reports UNB.
When the six-member full court of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice M Ruhul Amin resumed Monday, Attorney General Fida M Kamal prayed for two months time to comply with the apex court's edicts.
Earlier on May 7, accepting four rules relating to judicial service and the amended CrPC Ordinance separating the magistracy from the executive submitted by the caretaker government, the Supreme Court directed the government to complete the process of separation of the judiciary and report back in line with its new three-point directives.
In its three-point direction to the government the court asked for creating and sanctioning a certain number of courts for magistrates across the country along with its manpower and logistic support, allocating courtrooms and chambers for judges, along with necessary budgetary allocations.
The Attorney General informed the court that the creation and sanction of requisite posts for the judicial/metropolitan magistracy and court-support staff for districts and metropolitan areas, arrangements of courtrooms, chambers and other logistic supports have already been done.
"There remains some procedural process in implementing the scheme of the judicial magistracy, so the government requires more time," the chief government law officer pleaded.
After considering the government plea, the court granted further five weeks time. The court, then, adjourned until August 27 the hearing of the contempt cases facing 13 officials, including four top secretaries, for impeding the process of separation of the judiciary in compliance with the SC directives given in 1999 in the Masder Hossain case.