The Awami League-led 14-Party Alliance yesterday hoped that Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha should retire honourably rather than creating a controversy. “The office of the chief justice is very honourable, but SK Sinha made it controversial from the very beginning. This is very unfortunate. I hope the CJ will go on retirement honourably,” said Mohammad Nasim, coordinator of the 14-Party Alliance. Nasim, who is also the health minister, said this at a news conference after attending a joint meeting with the alliance partners at AL president Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office in the city.
Nasim accused the CJ of triggering controversies by installing a statue of Greek goddess Themis in front of the Supreme Court premises, by delivering a controversial verdict on the 16th Amendment, and last of all, by his alleged sickness.On the Rohingya issue, Nasim said the refugees are “temporary guests” of Bangladesh, but Myanmar must take them back.
“The repressed Rohingyas will go back
their homes on the basis of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s five-point proposal placed at the UN General Assembly for a permanent solution,” he added.
The joint meeting of the alliance partners was held to plan a successful mass reception for the PM on her return home on October 7.
Samyabadi Dal general secretary Dilip Barua, Workers’ Party general secretary Fazley Hossain Badsha, JSD general secretary Shirin Akthar, AL organising secretaries Ahmed Hossain and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Liberation War affairs secretary Mrinal Kanti Das, deputy office secretary Biplob Barua, Tarikat Federation secretary general MA Awal and Ganatantri Party general secretary Dr Shahdat Hossain were among those present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, BNP yesterday alleged that that Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha is now “under house arrest” and his leave application to the President is “fake”.
“The Chief Justice is now under house arrest. The application in his name seeking one-month leave is fake,” said BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed.
Moudud was speaking at a seminar at Jatiya Press Club to mark World Teacher Day 2017. The seminar was organised by Shikkhak Karmachari Oikya Jote, a pro-BNP non-government teachers’ forum, and chaired by the forum’s president Selim Bhuiyan.
Moudud, also a former law minister, further alleged that the government had “killed” the judiciary’s independence.
“Lawyers and Sinha’s relatives are not allowed to meet him, while his telephone connection has been cut,” the BNP leader said, adding that the CJ’s leave citing his sickness was announced without his consent.
Holding a copy of Sinha’s leave application that the law minister had shown to the media on Wednesday, Moudud claimed that there are at least five spelling mistakes in the letter. “No Chief Justice can sign an application having so many spelling mistakes,” he said.
Moudud also alleged that the signature on the application was forged. “It has no similarity with the CJ’s natural signature,” he said.
“We feel ashamed that such fake information is being provided by senior government functionaries. It is akin to forgery,” he added.
The BNP leader said there is a conspiracy to send Sinha abroad.
Prof. Sadrul Amin of Dhaka University, BNP leaders Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Shawkat Mahmud, Mahmudur Rahman Manna of Nagorik Oikya and Abdal Ahmed were among those who spoke on the occasion.