Dhaka: Emergency-ruled Bangladesh has promulgated an ordinance to establish a nine-member judicial commission for appointment of Supreme Court judges as part of steps to free judiciary from executive control.

President Iajuddin Ahmed promulgated the ordinance to set up the chief justice-led Supreme Judicial Commission which will recommend him names for appointment of judges to the High Court.

Until now president had to act on advice of the prime minister with regard to the appointments. The step was part of the military-backed government s reform measures and was prompted by allegations that judicial appointments had been made on political considerations by the previous governments.

The commission is to comprise the law minister, two senior judges of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, a lawmaker nominated by the prime minister, a lawmaker nominated by the leader of the opposition in the parliament, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and the law secretary, who will also act as its member-secretary.

According to the ordinance, the commission would recommend two names to the president against each of the vacant posts and the president would chose one of them.

"It would take at least 20 years to rid the judiciary of the effects of irregularities in appointment of judges in the past," Chief Justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin had said at a function recently.
Source : PTI