bdnews24.com :
Law Minister Anisul Huq has backpedalled on his statement that the law relating to investigation and proof of incapability and misconduct of top judges will be enacted within three months of the 16th Constitutional Amendment.
Now he said more time would be needed for the law.
MPs on Sept 17 passed the 16th Amendment mandating Parliament to investigate and sack Supreme Court judges on the grounds of incapability and misconduct.
The law minister had said after the Cabinet gave the go-ahead to the change in August that a law would be made within three months of the bill being pushed through Parliament.
He again sought three months to place the bill on the law when several independent MPs initiated discussions on it during the passage. Huq said the law would contain ‘detailed explanations’ of the way a judge could be removed.
The bill said Parliament could ‘control the investigation and way of proof’ of misconduct and incapability of a judge through law.
The fourth session of the 10th Parliament concluded on Nov 30 and the next sitting is supposed to begin in late January.
After the fourth session ended, the law minister told bdnews24.com “I think I can table it in Parliament in January”.
Chairman of the parliamentary committee on the ministry Suranjit Sengupta has said the 16th Amendment would not be effective unless a law was enacted.
“The amendment that has been passed this time is an umbrella amendment. Law has to be enacted to enforce an umbrella amendment,” he said.
The 16th Amendment bill was passed unanimously amid objection from senior lawyers and the BNP, which had stayed off the general election and is now out of Parliament.
The first Constitution of Bangladesh in 1972 had given Parliament the jurisdiction to settle the tenure of top judges and decide about their removal.
In 1975, the president was vested with the power through the Fourth Amendment.
After Ziaur Rahman began his military rule, he revoked this amendment and formed a Supreme Judicial Council following an order to enforce the impeachment rule.
Law Minister Anisul Huq has backpedalled on his statement that the law relating to investigation and proof of incapability and misconduct of top judges will be enacted within three months of the 16th Constitutional Amendment.
Now he said more time would be needed for the law.
MPs on Sept 17 passed the 16th Amendment mandating Parliament to investigate and sack Supreme Court judges on the grounds of incapability and misconduct.
The law minister had said after the Cabinet gave the go-ahead to the change in August that a law would be made within three months of the bill being pushed through Parliament.
He again sought three months to place the bill on the law when several independent MPs initiated discussions on it during the passage. Huq said the law would contain ‘detailed explanations’ of the way a judge could be removed.
The bill said Parliament could ‘control the investigation and way of proof’ of misconduct and incapability of a judge through law.
The fourth session of the 10th Parliament concluded on Nov 30 and the next sitting is supposed to begin in late January.
After the fourth session ended, the law minister told bdnews24.com “I think I can table it in Parliament in January”.
Chairman of the parliamentary committee on the ministry Suranjit Sengupta has said the 16th Amendment would not be effective unless a law was enacted.
“The amendment that has been passed this time is an umbrella amendment. Law has to be enacted to enforce an umbrella amendment,” he said.
The 16th Amendment bill was passed unanimously amid objection from senior lawyers and the BNP, which had stayed off the general election and is now out of Parliament.
The first Constitution of Bangladesh in 1972 had given Parliament the jurisdiction to settle the tenure of top judges and decide about their removal.
In 1975, the president was vested with the power through the Fourth Amendment.
After Ziaur Rahman began his military rule, he revoked this amendment and formed a Supreme Judicial Council following an order to enforce the impeachment rule.
