Dhaka desk: Chief Justice (CJ) SK Sinha yesterday said the judiciary cannot play the role of a silent spectator when two other state organs fail to discharge their respective duties. The judiciary, under the scheme of the constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, has played its role effectively in acting as a watchdog through judicial reviews over the acts of the legislature and the executive, the chief justice said.
While addressing the concluding session of a seminar titled “Judicial Independence” at Bangladesh Supreme Court Auditorium, the CJ also described the judiciary’s greatest contribution towards upholding of the constitution by determining the role of the three organs of the state.
The programme was organised by the supreme court in association with Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association.
Stating that the judicial independence is closely related to legal infrastructure, SK Sinha said, “The judicial freedom doesn’t depend only on the judges. The judiciary has to work under the legal infrastructure with the support of the government and assistance of the two other organs.”
The CJ’s remark came at a time when the judiciary and the executive are going through a strained period and the head of the government criticised the chief of the judiciary openly in parliament.
During Monday’s parliament session, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina criticsed the chief justice for his comments on rule of law and the freedom of judiciary.
“I don't understand how our chief justice could say there's no rule of law in the country and the judiciary isn't independent,” she said while delivering her valedictory speech in parliament before the prorogation of its session.
The row between the judiciary and executive also came out open when the law minister criticsed some of the comments of the chief justice on April 26. No chief justice across the world talked so much in public as chief justice Surendra Kuman Sinha did,” Law Minister Anisul Huq had said.
