Dhaka, December 18 – The High Court on Wednesday stayed the effectiveness of a gazette notification issued by Bangladesh Bar Council allowing Md Zumman Siddique, son of a sitting Justice of the High Court Division, to practice law in the High Court although he did not qualify the enrollment examination. The HC bench also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the Bangladesh Bar Council and the government to explain in four weeks why the gazette notification should not be declared illegal.
The HC bench comprising Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir came up with the order and rule after hearing on a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon and advocate Ishraf Hasan challenging the gazette notification.
At one stage of hearing, the HC bench warned barrister Sumon not to give any status in the social media like facebook, which is tarnished the image and dignity of judiciary and lawyers.
The HC bench gave the warning while Barrister M Amir Ul Islam, counsel for Zumman Siddique, placed some statement of Sumon, which was published in separate online portals after collecting from the facebook page of barrister Sumon.
Islam told the court that barrister Sumon tarnished the image and dignity of the judiciary and lawyers through the social media by giving several statuses in his facebook page. Sumon cannot tarnish the image and dignity of the judiciary and lawyers, Islam added.
Later, the HC bench in a verbal order warned Sumon and asked him not to give any disgraceful post in the social media in future.
Earlier on November 21, Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon and advocate Ishraf Hasan filed the writ petition with the High Court challenging a Bangladesh Bar Council gazette notification that enrolled law graduate Mohammad Zumman Siddique as an advocate of the High Court Division without any examination.
According to the petition, an official gazette notification issued by the Bangladesh Bar Council on October 31 this year stated that the following name (Mohammad Zumman Siddique), a law graduate practitioner in the New Zealand High Court, has been added to the Roll of Advocates maintained by the Bangladesh Bar Council, under Article 20 of the legal practitioners and Bar Council Order, 1972.
He is entitled to practice in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, the notification said.
Barrister Syed Sayeedul Hoque Sumon said the authorities concerned enrolled the law graduate violating the rules and regulations of Bangladesh Bar Council.
The petitioner lawyer also said, “Mohammad Zumman Siddique failed two times in the enrollment examination of the bar council. Then the bar council gave him enrollment by issuing a gazette whereas thousands of law graduates of the country face a tough battle to get the bar council enrollment.”
Law secretary, vice chairman and secretary of Bangladesh Bar Council and concerned law graduate have been made respondents to reply to the rule within four weeks.
It is noted that a law graduate has to go through a preliminary test, a written test and a viva voce to get enrollment in the Bangladesh Bar Council. – Staff Reporter
