A question has been raised in Parliament about receiving a gold made boat, the election symbol of the ruling Awami League as gift by a state minister. The gold made boat was later sold following widespread criticism and the money was donated to an orphanage.
Jatiya Party lawmaker AKM Maidul Islam from Kurigram-3 raised the written question in the House on Monday.
He referred that there is a law in the country that says if a minister receives any gift worth more than Tk 500 it shall be deposited to the Bangabhaban treasury and wanted to know whether the law is still in force.
In reply to the question, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Anisul Haq said a law titled Toshakhana (maintenance and administration) Rules 1974 is still in force.Replying to another question treasury bench member M Abdul Latif, the minister said the process is on to increase the number of courts at district level for accelerating further the dispensation of justice in the country.
He said the government has taken various pragmatic measurers to make easy the availability of judicial
services to the people.
The measures included separation of the judiciary from the executive and taking initiatives to appoint
more judges o higher and lower courts for quick disposal of all pending cases, he added.
The minister informed the House that the government during its past tenure had appointed 14 judges to the Appellate Division, 52 judges to the High Court Division and 457 assistant judges/ judicial magistrates to the lower courts.
He said, the government has shifted two joint district judge courts, six judicial magistrate courts and
eights assistant judge courts to upazila headquarters from the district towns for proximity reason.
He said the government has also formed a national legal aid body to help litigants get justice free of cost. – Staff Reporter
