Code for judges: Law minister meets chief justice

Law Minister Anisul Huq has further met Chief Justice Surendra Kuman Sinha for issuing a gazette notification on the disciplinary and conduct rules for lower court judges.

After the meeting held at chief justice’s Supreme Court office this afternoon, Anisul Huq told reporters at the SC premises that there was a significant progress in the meeting for finalising the rules and issuing the gazette notification to this effect.

The government is trying to issue the notification very soon, he said, expressing hope that it might be done within next week.   

Earlier on July 16, the law minister met the chief justice to discuss the disciplinary and conduct rules for lower court judges.

That day, Anisul said the government will finalise the rules determining the discipline and code of conduct for lower court judges by next week and hoped that a gazette notification on the rules will be issued by the end of the next week.

On July 17, the apex court gave one week time to the government for issuing the gazette notification on the rules.

Earlier July 2, the seven-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC gave the government a two-week ultimatum for issuing the gazette.

“It's the last chance,” said Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, who was heading the apex court bench, while hearing the judiciary separation case, also known as Masdar Hossain Case.

The SC on several occasions had earlier expressed annoyance and dissatisfaction at the government's failure to publish the notification in line with its orders.

The judiciary was officially separated from the executive in November 2007, but the conduct rules for lower court judges have yet to be finalised.

The government drafted the conduct rules and sent those to the SC for its opinion around two years ago. The apex court revised the draft in light of the 1999 verdict in the separation of judiciary case.