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CJ should step down, says Rokanuddin

Chaos marks Bar Council meet

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The chief justice should step down on ethical grounds as a former additional judge of the High Court (HC) has filed a case against him, raising questions about his neutrality, Vice-chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud said at a press briefing yesterday .
Rokanuddin also demanded removal of 'controversial' HC judge Faisal Mahmud Faizee at the briefing following adjournment of an extended meeting of the council.
The meeting was adjourned amid shouts and counter shouts by two groups of lawyers over its agenda.
Rokanuddin however said at the briefing the adjournment was made due to unbearable heat following power failure at the Bar Council building. Council representatives attending the meeting could not bear the intolerable heat in the meeting room and demanded adjournment, he added.
Lawyers have not raised the question of neutrality of the chief justice, rather a former additional judge has done so, Rokanuddin said. " In other countries, if any such question is raised about chief justice, he quits immediately." He went on, "We see a new practice in the Supreme Court that a judge is filing case seeking justice." The president should have sent the matter to the Supreme Judicial Council as the case was filed by a former additional judge(Abdus Salam Mamun), whose service was not confirmed by the government, he added.
Most of the speakers at the extended meeting demanded that Justice Faisal Mahmud Faizee should not continue as a judge as he has become 'controversial' and should quit immediately on ethical grounds, said Rokanuddin. Since there is a proceeding against Faizee at the council, the chief justice should have asked it about the matter, he thought.
But some of them pointed out that Faizee issue is a sub-judice matter.
Meanwhile, Jainul Abedin, law secretary of the ruling BNP, told reporters the executive committee of the Bar Council failed to organise the meeting yesterday.
He mentioned that Attorney General AJ Mohammad Ali, also exofficio chairman of the council, issued a notice stating that as per the Bar Council Act, the vice chairman is not entitled to call such extended meeting.
Rokanuddin admitted that he received a note from the attorney general regarding the extended meeting and said it has become a practice for the last 15 years that the council vice chairman calls its meetings. He also said when he called the meeting, then attorney general Hasan Arif as ex-officio council chairman did not raise any objection.
Chaired by Rokanuddin, yesterday's meeting began at 9:20am at the conference room of the Bar Council. Amendment to the Civil Procedure of Code (CPC), corruption in the judiciary and Faizee issue were on the agenda.
Eleven out of 14 members of the council executive committee attended the meeting. They included Mahbube Alam, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Yusuf Hossain Humayun, Z I Khan Panna and Sahara Khatun.
Presidents and secretaries of the district Bar associations were invited to the meeting. Eighty-one representatives of the Bar associations attended it.
About 15 Bar representatives spoke at the meeting.
There was no electricity in the corrugated tin-roofed conference room. The council authorities contacted the Power Development Board (PDB) but the PDB authorities said it would not be possible to resume power supply before 1:00pm for 'technical' problems.
A group of lawyers demanded allowing them to speak first as it was too difficult for them to stay in the room due to unbearable heat. Some other lawyers opposed their demands.
Amid a pandemonium, Rokanuddin adjourned the meeting.
The next date of the meeting will be announced soon in consultation with the council executive body members, he said.