Staff Reporter :
Turning down the statement of ABM Khairul Haque over the verdict of 16th Amendment to the Constitution, the Supreme Court Bar Association [SCBA] on Thursday said, the former Chief Justice has prepared the ‘grave of democracy’.
“The annulment of caretaker government system by former Chief Justice Khairul Haque has created political chaos in the country. The people of the country have lost their rights for voting. He has prepared the grave of democracy and fundamental values through delivering this verdict,” President of SCBA Zainul Abedin said.
The SCBA President made the remarks while addressing a press conference at the SCBA Auditorium yesterday noon against the backdrop of latest controversy over the verdict and observation delivered by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court recently.
General Secretary of SCBA Barrister Mahabub Uddin Khokon was also present during the press conference.
Earlier on Wednesday, incumbent Law Commission Chairman Justice ABM Khairul Haque heavily criticised some of the observations made by current Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha in a media briefing relating to the annulment of 16th Amendment.
Referring to the issue, Zainul Abedin further said, “Former Chief Justice Khairul Haque has indirectly taken stand against the judicial system, independence of judiciary and the democratic system. The former Chief Justice [Khairul] had also made controversial the verdicts on fifth and 13th amendments. For that reason he smells rat in the annulment of 16th Amendment.”
Pointing finger at Khairul Haque, the SCBA Preside further said, “The Former Chief Justice while delivering verdict over acquisition of Moon Cinema Hall had cancelled the Fifth Amendment intentionally, irrelevantly and preplanned way.
Raising question, Zainul Abedin said, “Can a former chief justice make such statement that the Supreme Court verdict in 16th amendment case was preconceived?”
It created a noisy situation while pro-Awami League lawyers those were present there at that time stared protesting the SCBA President’s statement. The Pro-AL Lawyers said it was not a press conference of SCBA. Rather, the BNP-minded lawyers have arranged it for political purpose, they said.
SCBA Vice President Ozi Ullah made a statement after the press conference at the same place. “The statement of Zainul Abedin was not the comment of SCBA. He is a BNP leader. He delivered the speech for his political purpose,” Ozi Ullah said.
Following the annulment of 16th amendment, Khairul Haque said, “Bangladesh being a people’s republic gives people’s representatives the authority to hold judges accountable, but that is no longer the case because of the Supreme Court’s verdict. The verdict appears as preconceived. Some of Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha’s comments on MPs were irrelevant and immature.”
“The Constitution says this is the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. But after this verdict, it seems our country is going to be the Judges’ Republic of Bangladesh. This is the first verdict I saw which goes back to martial law over the original Constitution,” former head of the judiciary said.
