Law minister for proper code of conduct

The code of conduct for the Supreme Court judges should be one that every judge follows ensuring their accountability, Law Minister Anisul Huq said yesterday.

The existing code of conduct does not say what should be done if that is violated, he told The Daily Star over phone.

He also said he would discuss the matter with Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

He made the comments after Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, a retired High Court judge, appeared before the Appellate Division of the SC as a defence counsel for convicted war criminal Mir Quasem Ali on Wednesday.

The court was hearing an appeal by the Jamaat-e-Islami leader challenging his death penalty given by the International Crimes Tribunal-2.

During the hearing, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the court that Justice Nozrul retired as a HC judge a few months ago and was still living in a government residence and using a car and gunman given by the government.

If Justice Nozrul practises (as a lawyer) in the court under the circumstances, it would be against the ethics of the judges, he said.

In reply, Justice Nozrul said he was aware of his enjoying the state privileges and claimed that he was not misusing those.

Later, he told reporters that he was practising in the apex court as per the law and the constitution.   

Yesterday, Law Minister Anisul Huq also told this correspondent that Justice Nozrul should not represent a war criminal in court as long as he is enjoying the government facilities.

Earlier in the day, he told reporters at his secretariat office that the provision of death penalty under criminal laws would not be abolished, but the government would try to avoid the punishment in laws to be formulated in future.

He made the comment after a meeting with a 12-member delegation of the European Parliament and European Union.

During the meeting, the delegation had raised the issue of abolishing death penalty in the laws of Bangladesh, a law ministry official said.