Amendment jolts judiciary : BNP

Maintaining their attack on the government for restoring parliament's power to remove judges, BNP senior leader Rafiqul Islam Miah said Friday it has jolted the judiciary like a tremor, reports UNB.

Addressing a discussion, the BNP leader also claimed that dispensation of justice will be very tough as the judges will remain under psychological pressure.

Swadhinata Forum, a pro-BNP platform, arranged the discussion at the Jatiya Press Club on the 16th amendment to the constitution.

"The judges will remain under psychological pressure as the power to remove judges has been bestowed upon an unrepresentative parliament.  Now it will be tough for them to do justice," the BNP leader said.

Mr Miah, a BNP standing committee member, lamented that the nation would not be able to recover the loss it suffered with the jerk of the 16th amendment."

The senior lawyer feared that the judiciary would lose its neutrality, independence and accountability as the unelected people were given power to remove judges.

The BNP leader alleged the lower court judges are also not out of political influence as the government is controlling them.

The government has destroyed all the democratic and constitutional institutions only to make its political gains, Mr Miah added.

He said it is now necessary to wage a greater movement in the country to establish a people's government and restore democracy.