Staff Reporter :
Although there is a long demand for enacting a law in appointing judges in both the divisions of the Supreme Court, four new judges have been appointed to the Appellate Division without enacting any law in this regard.
President Md Abdul Hamid appointed new four judges for the Appellate Division (AD) of the Supreme Court. With this, the number of judges in the apex court becomes eight. The new judges are Justice Borhanuddin, Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Justice F R M Nazmul Ahasan and Justice Krishna Debnath.
The law ministry on Sunday issued a notification to this effect. “According to the Article 95(1) of the Constitution, the President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has picked up four judges of the High Court division as the judges of the Appellate Division,” read the notification.
The appointment will come into effect from the date of taking their oath, also read the notification issued by Law Secretary Md Golam Sarwar.
Of the four judges, Justice Borhanuddin, Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Krishna Debnath took oath. Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique administered their oath on the judges’ lounge of the Supreme Court at 10.45 am on Sunday.
But, Justice F R M Nazmul Ahasan could not take oath as he was admitted to a hospital after being infected by Covid 19. The number of the judges of the apex court came down with the retirement of the former Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain on December 30 last year.
As per law, the President on that day appointed Justice Hasan Foez Siddique as the new Chief Justice of the country. After one week of assuming the office by the new chief justice, the apex court gpt four new judges on January 9.
Before the retirement, the former Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain on December 15 last year, the last working day of him in the courtroom, emphasized the need for formulation of a law for the appointment of higher judiciary. He said, “Formulating the law for the appointment of the judges in the higher judiciary in line with the Constitution is essential in context of the reality. I have become happy to learn that the government has started working to formulate a law for the appointment of judges in the higher judiciary.”
“If the law is enacted, the appointment of judges in the higher judiciary will be transparent and speedy and the baseless confusion among the people about the appointment of judges will be removed,” added the then Chief Justice.
Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the remarks at a farewell meeting accorded by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Attorney General’s office on his last working day on December 15.
