Bar president Mahbub Uddin demands for a corruption-free supreme court
Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon speaks at a briefing in the Supreme Court premises on Thursday. Collected photo.
Supreme Court Bar Association President A M Mahbub Uddin Khokon, who has been in the spotlight over the incident of the chief justice leaving the courtroom, has now demanded a corruption-free Supreme Court.
After the incident in the Appellate Division on Tuesday and discussion about it in Parliament on Wednesday, he made this demand before journalists on the Supreme Court premises today, Thursday.
Mahbub Uddin Khokon said, “Everyone is worried about corruption in the judiciary. Corruption in lobbying for cases, corruption in getting cases listed, corruption in hearings, corruption among some judicial officers, and in the Supreme Court everywhere. There is also corruption in getting cases listed in the High Court—these are lawyers’ statements.”
He believes it is his duty as president of the Supreme Court Bar Association to demand that the chief justice take measures to prevent corruption.
Mahbub Uddin said, “The Appellate Division and High Court Division of the Supreme Court must be made corruption-free in all respects. There may be corruption elsewhere, but corruption is tried in the Supreme Court. And if litigants have to lobby and pay money everywhere when filing cases in the Supreme Court itself—that is a sad matter.”
Demanding that the lower courts also be made corruption-free, he said action must be taken against tainted officials who still are there.
On Tuesday, the Appellate Division fined a lawyer Tk 5 lakh for filing multiple writ petitions while hiding information. After that, Mahbub Uddin got into an argument with the chief justice over this during the hearing of another case. At one point, the chief justice left the courtroom.
On Wednesday, the Parliament picked up the matter to discuss. Mahbub Uddin was also in Parliament at that time as a ruling party MP. A member of the opposition claimed that he saw signs of interference in the judiciary through this incident.
After not getting the opportunity to speak on the matter in Parliament, Mahbub Uddin appeared before journalists in the Supreme Court premises today and demanded a corruption-free judiciary.
Claiming that the behavior of many judges appointed during the previous Awami League era was “political,” he called for their removal through the Supreme Judicial Council.
Mahbub Uddin said, “During the Awami League’s last 17 years in power, the conduct of many judges in the Supreme Court was political. Today it has been two and a half years, chief justices have come, and before that another chief justice also left. But they are still comfortably in the Supreme Court. I demand that they be sent to the Supreme Judicial Council.”
Raising demands to solve various problems of the Supreme Court lawyers, he said, “In the Supreme Court, which is the highest court, why should there be a slum? Lawyers… have no place to sit, no place to walk. We have no building.
“Within the next one month, the slum must be evicted from the Supreme Court premises, and arrangements must be made for lawyers to sit and for creating a working environment, even if only at the level of temporary sheds for now.”
If these measures are not taken within one month, the lawyers of the Supreme Court will take further steps, said the president of the lawyers’ association.
Mahbub Uddin demanded the formation of at least three benches in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court to speed up the disposal of cases. He also advised taking steps to appoint judges if necessary.
After the incident of the chief justice leaving the courtroom, Mahbub Uddin had told journalists that he had spoken in the interests of lawyers. However, Attorney General Ruhul Kuddus Kajal expressed a different opinion on his statement.
In today’s remarks, Mahbub Uddin also expressed an angry reaction toward the Attorney General. He said it is his duty to raise lawyers’ concerns before the chief justice, and the Attorney General has no role in this matter.
