A total of 12 judges, accused of corruption and acting as accomplices to the fascist regime of Sheikh Hasina, have been placed on leave, with the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division scheduled to hear the case concerning their removal Sunday, according to Supreme Court Registrar General Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan.
Speaking to journalists in the High Court premises on Wednesday (16 October) around 4pm, Bhuiyan confirmed the latest developments.
He that a delegation from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement had met with him earlier, and they had engaged in a prolonged discussion on the matter.
"Later, we also consulted with the chief justice regarding this issue. There is a process for the resignation or removal of judges, but we do not have a specific law governing this in our country. The previous government attempted an amendment concerning the removal of judges, but the Supreme Court annulled it. The government has since applied for a review. The court will reconvene on 20 October (Sunday), and the Appellate Division, led by the chief justice, is expected to deliver a verdict on this matter," he added.
He further stated, "Judges are appointed and removed by the president. The chief justice has done what is required of him in this situation. The twelve judges will no longer be assigned to benches, meaning they will not be able to perform judicial duties on 20 October. We expect that the attorney general's office will raise the matter in court on that day, and the subsequent developments will unfold accordingly."
In response to the registrar general's remarks, Hasnat Abdullah, a key coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, expressed hope that the verdict on the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution would be delivered on Sunday.
"The judges must be removed that same day. We will wait until Sunday afternoon. Protests have been held with arrogance across the judiciary, including the High Court and district courts, by those with the blood of 2,000 martyrs on their hands. They wish to bring back the murderous Hasina. The Supreme Court does not have the authority to remove them, so we call on law enforcement agencies to identify and arrest the culprits based on video evidence. They must be arrested within 24 hours," he stated.
