Speaker saves JS from witnessing heated debate on constitution issue

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The dynamic stewardship of the Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad saved the House from witnessing a heated debate and unpleasant atmosphere at the very outset of Sunday's proceedings in Parliament, reports BSS. Commotion was about to be flared up, when BNP senior lawmaker Barrister Maudud Ahmed, taking floor on a point of order, alleged that the country is being run without any constitution. He questioned the legitimacy of the constitution that was recently re-written as per the Supreme Court's verdicts. As the treasury bench members were about to react, veteran politician Moudud Ahmed in his one minute speech tried to create a smoke-screen by referring to some 'unseen differences of opinion' between Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed and prudent parliamentarian Suranjit Sen Gupta. Speaker Advocate Abdul Hamid, a seasoned politician, quite intelligently took up the matter and cooled down the atmosphere assuring both sides of holding a good debate at an appropriate time in the House on the constitutional issue. However, when the chair granted the floor to the law minister, Barrister Shafique Ahmed said it was not true that there was no constitution in the country as was alleged by Barrister Moudud. He told the House that the Supreme Court by giving its verdict only incorporated those provisions of the constitutions that were scrapped by Late President Ziaur Rahman through Martial Law proclamations. The constitution has been re-written in the light of the verdict only to incorporate those provisions, he added. The Law Minister expressed unanimity with Barrister Moudud that only the great Jatiay Sangsad has the authority to ratify and amend the sacred constitution of the country. 1.78m cases settled in last two years After assumption of office by the present government, a total of 1,781,022 cases were disposed of in the last two years, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed told in Parliament Sunday, reports BSS. Replying to a question from treasury bench member Shahriar Alam, the law minister said the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court settled 7,618 cases, while the number of cases disposed of by the High Court in the last two years was 90,456. Besides, he said, 558,975 cases were disposed of by all district judge courts, while the magistrate courts settled 1,123,973 cases in the last two years.