Judges were retired on PM's orders: H T Imam
Saturday, 29 August 2009
The prime minister's advisor H T Imam said on Friday that two judges had been sent into forced retirement on the prime minister's orders in July, reports bdnews24.com
Speaking to reporters at his Hare Road residence, Imam said he was not yet decided about whether to appear before the parliamentary standing committee on law to clarify his role.
The committee chief Suranjit Sengupta said on Thursday that Imam had initiated the file.
Supreme Court Judicial Association president Mohammed Abdul Gafur and its secretary general Mohammed Shahjahan into retirement on July 30 without the consent of the Supreme Court, a decision that was overturned just days later.
Imam said he would look into the scope of the parliamentary committee's work.
"You know over which issue it took place. The prime minister ordered for an instant step after [that incident] at the Secretariat," he pointed out.
The two judges had led a demonstration at the law ministry protesting certain procedures in the government's separation of the judiciary from the executive.
Supporters of judges Gafur and Shahjahan opposed the decision to retire them and issued a deadline for their reinstatement.
The government reinstated the two on Aug 2.
The decision to reinstate the two judges was taken after they had sought amnesty from the prime minister, Imam said.
The parliamentary committee on Thursday decided to summon Imam, law secretary Kazi Habibul Awal and establishment secretary Iqbal Mahmud to explain the government's decision.
Thursday's meeting of the committee disclosed that law minister Shafique Ahmed and his deputy Kamrul Islam did not know of the decision, either.
Committee chairman Suranjit Sengupta told reporters on Thursday that the government's decision on the retirement of judges, and their reinstatement just days later, "embarrassed" the prime minister's office.
Speaking to reporters at his Hare Road residence, Imam said he was not yet decided about whether to appear before the parliamentary standing committee on law to clarify his role.
The committee chief Suranjit Sengupta said on Thursday that Imam had initiated the file.
Supreme Court Judicial Association president Mohammed Abdul Gafur and its secretary general Mohammed Shahjahan into retirement on July 30 without the consent of the Supreme Court, a decision that was overturned just days later.
Imam said he would look into the scope of the parliamentary committee's work.
"You know over which issue it took place. The prime minister ordered for an instant step after [that incident] at the Secretariat," he pointed out.
The two judges had led a demonstration at the law ministry protesting certain procedures in the government's separation of the judiciary from the executive.
Supporters of judges Gafur and Shahjahan opposed the decision to retire them and issued a deadline for their reinstatement.
The government reinstated the two on Aug 2.
The decision to reinstate the two judges was taken after they had sought amnesty from the prime minister, Imam said.
The parliamentary committee on Thursday decided to summon Imam, law secretary Kazi Habibul Awal and establishment secretary Iqbal Mahmud to explain the government's decision.
Thursday's meeting of the committee disclosed that law minister Shafique Ahmed and his deputy Kamrul Islam did not know of the decision, either.
Committee chairman Suranjit Sengupta told reporters on Thursday that the government's decision on the retirement of judges, and their reinstatement just days later, "embarrassed" the prime minister's office.