Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman has requested the government to take opinions from constitutional and legal experts, members of public, researchers, university teachers and media personalities before passing the bill, empowering the National Parliament to impeach Supreme Court judges.He said this in a written statement to the media on Saturday. The 1972 Constitution, Article 96, empowered the Parliament to impeach Supreme Court judges for proven offences or incapability to discharge duties by the vote of a two-thirds majority. Late President Ziaur Rahman, later, amended the law. On August 18, 2014, the Cabinet meeting came up with a decision on principle to reinstall the rescinded article in the Constitution. Dr Iftekharuzzaman says that the materialistic and the deep analysis are very necessary before taking such important decision. He opined, the restoration of the Article 96 in the 1972 Constitution may be logical if it is done through political consensus and taking the developed countries’ democratic experience into consideration. The 72 Constitution had a dream of exercising good governance, justice, democratic and good political culture. But it was allegedly misused by political hands, he said. It, he says, will create confusion how much the judges would be able to stick to their professional duties under political power and impartial remain. “The impeachment process should be above political power to make it transparent. It should also have an opportunity for judges’ self-defence”, the Executive Director said. If it is not done, the political power may dominate the judiciary.
