Justice Manik submits judgments

Former Supreme Court Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik submits 65 judgements and orders he has written after his retirement as an Appellate Division judge along with their files to the apex court. Star file photo.

Former Supreme Court Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik today submitted 65 judgments and orders he has written after his retirement as an Appellate Division judge along with their files to the apex court.

“The office of Justice Md Imman Ali, a judge of the Appellate Division bench where I was a member, has received 65 judgements and orders and their files from me,” Justice Manik told The Daily Star.

He said he would submit the remaining judgments and orders along with their files later on.

Justice Manik said now Justice Imman Ali will examine the judgments and orders and then he will send them to Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, who is the presiding judge of the bench, for scrutiny.

“Then Justice Wahhab Miah will send the judgments and orders to me for my signature. Once I sign, Justice Imman Ali and then Justice Wahhab Miah will sign the judgments and orders for their release.”

Justice Manik said he has completed writing all the judgments and orders of total 85 cases and there is no case pending with him.

Earlier in the day, he told reporters that he would not return the files of the cases belonging to him to the SC’s registrar general’s office, as Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha has hoped for doing so.

While talking to reporters near the Mazar Gate out of the SC premises Justice Manik said that he would not carry out the “illegal order” of the chief justice about returning the files of the cases.

On Sunday, SC registrar general’s office in a press release said, “The honourable chief justice of Bangladesh hopes that former Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury will return all the files of cases of unsettled judgments pending with him to the Supreme Court’s registrar general’s office immediately without making any statement to the media about the judgments and orders, so that justice seekers do not suffer further.”

Earlier on Sunday, Justice Manik told reporters at the SC premises that in a letter he informed the CJ that he had finished writing all the judgments and orders, but Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah refused to accept those “on instructions” of the CJ.

The SC registrar general’s office in its press release said Justice Manik held a press conference on the SC premises during court hours, which is unprecedented.

Yesterday, Sabbir Foyez, additional registrar of the High Court Division of the SC, said the SC administration has prohibited holding any programme like press conference, meeting and procession at the SC premises much ago and they will ensure the restriction strictly from now on.