JS panel to summon HT Imam over judges' retirement

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A parliamentary watchdog body will summon Prime Minister's Adviser HT Imam, Law Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal and Establishment Secretary Iqbal Mahmud to explain the government's decision last month to send two judges into retirement without the consent of the Supreme Court, reports bdnews24.com.
The three will have to appear before the parliamentary standing committee on law to clarify their role in sending Supreme Court Judicial Association president Md Abdul Gafur and its secretary-general Md Shahjahan into retirement on July 30, a decision that was overturned just days later.
A meeting of the committee Thursday disclosed that the two judges were sent into retirement without the knowledge of Law Minister Shafique Ahmed and his deputy Kamrul Islam.
Committee Chairman Suranjit Sengupta told reporters that the government's decision on the retirement of judges, and their reinstatement just days later, "embarrassed" the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
"According to the papers submitted to the committee, we have seen that the Prime Minister's Adviser HT Imam had initiated the file on forceful retirement of the two judges.
"Law Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal and Establishment Secretary Iqbal Mahmud also played a role in the process.
"We have unanimously decided to call the three before the committee to give their justification for the decision," Suranjit told reporters after the committee's meeting that was also attended by the law minister.
He said they would need to clarify whether they had sought opinion of the Supreme Court, as per Article 116 of the Constitution, before taking such a decision.
"The papers also show that neither the law minister nor the state minister for law had signed the retirement order.
"Law Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal will be summoned first to appear at our September 9 meeting to clarify his action," said Suranjit.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through an executive order on July 30 sent the two judges into retirement soon after they had led a demonstration at the law ministry protesting certain procedures in the government's separation of the judiciary from the executive.