Judge's 'bail fix'
President asks CJ to probe allegation
Staff Correspondent
President Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday directed the chief justice (CJ) to form the Supreme Judicial Council, for the first time, to probe the allegation of misconduct against an additional judge of the High Court.The president sent the reference file to the law ministry upon receiving an advice from the prime minister. Law Minister Moudud Ahmed told the press that the ministry would forward the president's directive to Chief Justice KM Hasan today. The chief justice will then constitute the council with two most senior judges of the Supreme Court he heads. According to the constitution, if the council, after making the inquiry, reports to the president that in its opinion the judge has ceased to be capable of properly performing the functions of his office or has been guilty of gross misconduct, the president will, by an order, remove the judge. Supreme Court Bar Association President Rokanuddin Mahmud at a meeting of the association on October 1 alleged that Judge Syed Shahidur Rahman received Tk 50,000 from a client for fixing a bail from the court of a judge friend in a woman repression case. The judge was appointed on April 24 in the face objection by the Bar association and senior lawyers of the Supreme Court. They alleged that when Shahidur was an office bearer of the association, he pocketed the organisation's funds. The chief justice sent the reference file on October 20 to the president for his approval and the law ministry on October 23 sent the chief justice's request for probe to the prime minister.
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