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Ex-judicial officers can't practise law in lower courts: SC

FE REPORT | June 24, 2022 00:00:00


The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that former judicial officers (lower court judges) cannot practise law in the subordinate (lower) courts of the country.

The ex-judges of the subordinate courts, who held the offices of judgeship for at least 10 years, can practise law only in the High Court Division of the SC, if they qualify in the relevant viva voce, said an order of the Appellate Division (AD) of the SC on Thursday.

A six-member AD bench headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after dismissing a review petition filed by two former judicial officers, including AKM Fazlul Karim, seeking reconsideration of its previous verdict on this issue.

Additional Attorney General Mohammad Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury who represented the state said the former lower court judges having at least 10 years' experience of discharging judicial functions can practise law in the HC if they qualify in the related oral test.

They cannot run law profession in the subordinate courts following the SC order, he said, adding the former lower court judges could have practiced law in the subordinate courts and HC until amendment to the relevant provision of the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order and Rules 1972 on March 12, 1998.

Senior lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali appeared for the former lower court judges.

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