Constitutional action is due against the High Court judge who distributed a report among his colleagues branding the slain Shahbagh activist Ahmed Rajib Haider a ‘Murtad’ (apostate).
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed told Parliament about the decision on Tuesday as he explained the government’s stance on the killing of blogger Rajib, whose body was found on Feb 15 in the wake of anti-war criminal protests.
The decision came as Supreme Court lawyers and Shahbagh activists protested the act of Justice Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan.
On behalf of Justice Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, his assistant Siddiqur Rahman Hawlader distributed the reports in the Supreme Court envelope to the offices of the judges on Monday.
The act drew flak from MPs too on Tuesday.
Several MPs including Chief Whip Abdus Shaheed demanded that action be taken against the judge for running ‘propaganda’ campaign against the ‘first martyr’ of Ganajagaran Mancha after the Parliament proceedings began.
They demanded formation of a Supreme Judicial Council to conduct investigation against the judge.
Speaker Abdul Hamid asked the Law Minister whether any legal measures could be taken against the judge. Otherwise, the Speaker said that he would give a ruling on the issue.
“I will speak with the Chief Justice so that this judge, who has committed such an act, faces constitutional action by forming a Supreme Judicial Council,” said the Law Minister.
“The act the judge has committed is condemnable and heinous. This act or the judge’s behaviour can be called an undemocratic action.”
“In the circumstances, our President holds the authority to request the Chief Justice to constitute the Supreme Judicial Council.”
“The judge should not have behaved this way in any situation. This is completely against the Constitution…”
Chief Whip Abdus Shahid, Awami League lawmakers Dr TIM Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim also talked on the issue after Jatiya Party lawmaker Mujibul Haque Chunnu readout two reports published in Bangla national daily Samakal and bdnews24.com.
Rajib, a leading activist of the Shahbagh movement, was killed by unidentified miscreants in the city’s Pallabi last Friday.
In the report, Justice Bhuiyan said: “His (Rajib) blog posts remind us of Murtad Salman Rushdie.”
A copy of the report is available with bdnews24.com.
Several sources had confirmed bdnews24.com that the judges of the High Court held several meetings on the issue and also saw the Chief Justice in the afternoon.
The Chief Justice summoned the judge and warned him.
Supreme Court Registrar AKM Shamsul Islam told bdnews24.com that he was also aware of the incident. He said that some newspapers spread propaganda against blogger Rajib Haider and some of the copies were distributed.”
Bhuiyan took oath as an Additional Judge on July 29, 2002 during the last BNP-Jamaat alliance government. His job was regularised on July 29, 2004.bdnews24.com
