Law minister asks CJ not to speak of grievances publicly

Law minister Anisul Huq has disapproved of chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha’s remarks that the administration never wants the judiciary to function independently.

On Wednesday, he emphatically said, “[Premier] Sheikh Hasina-led government never interferes in the judiciary and will never do this.”

“If the chief justice has grievances, he could tell us without speaking publicly. If he shares his unhappiness with us, we may try to resolve those,” he told a press conference arranged on the occasion of the National Legal Aid Day at the ministry.

Mentioning that he does not see any conflict between the executive and the judiciary, the minister said, “Our behaviour towards the judiciary is not like a stepmother.”

He, however, said if the chief justice points out anything wrong, this could be resolved through discussion.

Responding to a query about distance between the two organs of the state, Anisul said he sees no distance.

Speaking at a reception accorded to him by Habiganj Bar Association in Habiganj, SK Sinha on Tuesday lamented that the judiciary faces a ‘step-motherly’ treatment during all the successive governments.

“The administration never wants the judiciary to function independently although it provides security to the administration, too. The bureaucracy always considers the judiciary a rival,” he had said.

About the benefits of the judicial officials, Anisul said the monthly salary of a Supreme Court Judge is now Tk 1.05 lakh which was Tk 53,000 earlier. “It stands at Tk 1.60 lakh taking into account other facilities,” he said, adding that the Chief Justice draws Tk 1.10 lakh.

“The prime minister would not have done this for the judges had the government behaved step-motherly with the judiciary,” the minister said.

Source: unb