Dhaka, Jan 7– Law Minister Anisul Huq on Sunday said the demand for establishing a separate secretariat for the judiciary in the light of the Masdar Hossain case is unrealistic. He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after inaugurating a training course for the district and session’s judges and equivalent judicial officials at the Judicial Administration Training Institute in the city.
The High Court in its verdict in the Masdar Hossain case directed for setting up a separate secretariat for the judiciary.
Following the HC judgment, different quarters had long been demanding that an independent secretariat is
set up for the judiciary.
On January 4 last, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) demanded an amendment to the gazette notification published on the disciplinary rules for the lower court judges after forming an independent secretariat for the judiciary.
The law minister said separate secretariat for the judiciary exists nowhere in the world. “I think this demand is unrealistic. I can’t say whether there’ll be an independent secretariat in the future. But this is an unrealistic idea right now.”
Replying to a query about the 16th amendment verdict, he said the government filed the review petition as per to the right provided by the constitution. “Now, it’s up to the Appellate Division to hear the petition. We also want an end to the dispute over the matter,” he said.
The disciplinary rules for the trial court judges were formulated as per the power given to the President under section 116 of the constitution and in consultation with the Supreme Court, Anisul said.
On December 24 last, the state filed a review petition mentioning 94 grounds to cancel the full verdict of the Supreme Court that upheld a High Court judgment scrapping the 16th constitutional amendment. – UNB
