No scope to discuss court proceedings in JS or public: CJ

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha today said there is no scope for holding discussion about the court proceedings in parliament or in public.

“You are trying to create a division among the judges. Can we not speak in the courtroom?” he told Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, apparently in response to the comments made by some ministers and lawmakers about the Supreme Court.

The chief justice was presiding over a six-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC during hearing three government petitions challenging the High Court verdict that declared unconstitutional the rules under which the executive magistrates run mobile courts.

The apex court bench, however, extended for two weeks its July 4 order that stayed the HC verdict, clearing the way for the executive magistrates to run the mobile courts for two weeks.

It adjourned the hearing on the petitions for two weeks.

During hearing proceedings, Chief Justice SK Sinha told Advocate Mahbubey Alam that some ministers have made comments about the judges’ speaking in the courtroom. “Is it fair?”

“We don’t make any political statement during the court proceedings. We make comment on the issue relating to the judiciary such as the mobile court rules,” the chief justice said as the attorney general told the court that comments are made from the both sides and the media published those.

Law Minister Anisul Huq on Monday told a meeting at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium that the SC wants the powers of the president regarding the discipline of lower court judges, provided under article 116 of the constitution.   

Referring to Chief Justice SK Sinha, Anisul said sitting in the courtroom, the chief justice talked about getting rid of the High Court.

On July 9, senior ministers and members of parliament from the treasury and opposition benches launched a blistering attack on the HC and SC for judgments against the Jatiya Sangsad's power to remove their judges for incapacity or misconduct.