Government gets another week to publish judge’s service rule gazette

The Supreme Court on Monday has given the government one more week to issue a gazette clarifying the service rules for lower court judges.
Earlier, the Supreme Court criticised the attorney general for seeking more time in issuing a gazette on the rule determining the discipline and code of conduct of lower court judges.

“Supreme Court, Gono Bhaban and Bangabhaban seem lakhs of kilometres apart. The file could not be moved about in two-and-half years!” Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha said.

A five-member SC bench, led by Chief Justice SK Sinha, passed the order following a time-petition filed by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

On April 4, the SC extended time for the government up to May 8 to issue a gazette notification on the disciplinary and conduct rules for lower court judges.

The lower judiciary was officially separated in November 2007 but the disciplinary rules for lower court judges are yet to be formulated.

On December 2, 1999, the Supreme Court in the Masdar Hossain case issued a seven-point directive, including formulating separate disciplinary rules, for the lower court judges.

The Law Ministry on May 7, 2015 sent the draft of the rules to the Supreme Court which is similar to the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1985.

Source: Daily Sun, Dhaka, Bangladesh