Chief Justice (CJ) MM Ruhul Amin Sunday administered the oath to six newly appointed additional judges of the High Court (HC) division of the Supreme Court (SC), reports BSS.
The oath taking ceremony was held at the SC Judges’ lounge.
Judges of both divisions of the SC and senior lawyers were present on the occasion.
President Professor Iajuddin Ahmed earlier appointed them according to Article 98 of the constitution.
The new judges are Mohammad Delwar Hossain, Syeda Afsar Jahan, Abdul Hakim, Borhan Uddin, Mohammad Abdus Samad and Mohammad Azizul Haque.
UNB adds: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) declined to accord traditional felicitation to the newly sworn-in six additional judges of the High Court (HC) division.
Shortly after the oath-taking ceremony, SCBA president Barrister Shafique Ahmed, who, in protest refrained from attending the function, told the media that the transparency of the Supreme Judicial Commission (SJC), a newly-formed judges' recruitment body, was called in question through those appointments. "The executive authority has imposed its decision, making the SJC scapegoat."
He said three juniors to the incumbent Law Adviser's chamber-Delwar Hossain, Borhanuddin and Syeda Afsar Jahan Ila- were made additional judges and a judicial officer, suspended on charges of corruption and penitent district judge M Abdus Samad, were also inducted into the highest seat of the judiciary.
The SCBA president, an ex-officio member of the SJC, refused to take the burden of the appointments and demanded amendment to the SJC rules, where the Law Minister/ Adviser submits to the Commission the panel of probable names of the additional judges for recommendation.
"The list of probable additional judges should be prepared by the SC judges along with senior lawyers, not by the executive authority," he said.
Besides, he suggested, the provision for recommending two names for each vacant post should also be repealed to put an end to "juggling with figures" by the executive authority.
He said after browsing the report ran in a vernacular daily today (Sunday) about the 'tainted' district judge Abdus Samad, the Bar leaders met Chief Justice MM Ruhul Amin at his chamber before the oath-taking ceremony and informed him of the matter.
They requested him not to administer oath to the "controversial" person. But the CJ regretted, on grounds of his constitutional obligation.
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FE Team | Published: November 17, 2008 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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