BNP yesterday alleged that the government has issued the gazette notification on the disciplinary rules for lower court judges keeping its control over it as part of a 'serious conspiracy', reports UNB. "We've struggled for a long time for the independence of the judiciary, and talked much about it...Now they (govt) have taken the lower judiciary under the administration again," said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Speaking at a discussion, he further said, "The government yesterday (Monday) published the gazette on the disciplinary rules for the lower court judges keeping its control over it. It's a serious deviation and a dangerous plot." The BNP leader feared that the government will now try to suppress alternative views and paths by regulating the judiciary. A faction of Samyabadi Dal arranged the programme at Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU), marking the 30th death anniversary of Comrade Mohammad Toha. On Monday, the government issued the gazette notification on the disciplinary rules for lower court judges.

On December 2, 1999, the Supreme Court in the Masdar Hossain case issued a seven-point directive, including formulating separate disciplinary rules, for the lower court judges. Fakhrul alleged that the government implicated their chairperson Khaleda Zia in many cases to harass her. "They're now carrying out propaganda cooking up an imaginary story in the name of her (Khaleda's) assets abroad. It's a false and fabricated allegation."

Criticising the government for filing defamation cases against Dhaka University teacher Prof Asif Nazrul and Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman, he said the ruling party men file cases against those who speak against the party only to suppress them.