A lawmaker of the ruling coalition on Thursday placed a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament, seeking the enactment of a law for appointment of judges to the Supreme Court.
Jatiya Party lawmaker Mujibul Haque, who had earlier demanded guidelines for judges’ appointment and enactment of a law based on them, moved the Bill titled Superior Judicial Commission Bill 2012.
The Bill was sent to the committee on Private Member’s Bill for scrutiny. The move to enact a law for appointment of Supreme Court judges is probably the result of the row between legislature and judiciary, say many onlookers.
The Bill proposed formation of a commission to determine the number of Supreme Court judges and to send recommendations to the country’s
president for appointment of judges.
The proposed seven-member commission will be headed by the chief justice. The proposal came on the heels of a debate in Parliament over the comment of a High Court judge that led the speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad to pass a ruling on June 18 in the previous session.
According to the legislative proposal the judges must be free of any political identity.
Appointment of judges from Supreme Court lawyers will need review of the records of two cases they have dealt with in the last 10 years and review of the Bar Council’s report on their professional attitude.
The commission will recommend appointment of judges to the Appellate Division, High Court Division and also appoint temporary judges, according to the Bill, which also attached five conditions for appointment of judges.
The person to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court will have to be free of any political affiliation, must have at least 2nd Class in all academic examinations, Master’s degree in law and must be at least 50 years of age.
The proposed seven-member commission will comprise senior judges of the Appellate Division and High Court Division, a lawmaker nominated by the speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, chairman of the Public Service Commission, the attorney general and the president of Supreme Court Bar Association.