Dhaka, May 20 (V7N) — The High Court has expressed surprise over the government’s decision to dissolve the Supreme Court Secretariat before the final disposal of the related case in the Appellate Division.
On Wednesday (May 20) morning, a bench led by Justice Ahmed Sohel questioned the move after the dissolution notification was brought to the court’s attention. Addressing the state side, the court reportedly asked, “How is this possible?”
Lawyer Shishir Monir, who filed the writ petition seeking establishment of a separate Supreme Court Secretariat, alleged that the government had committed contempt of court by dissolving the body before the matter was finally settled judicially.
He further stated that he intends to file a contempt petition against the government on Thursday, claiming that the incident has also harmed Bangladesh’s image internationally.
Earlier, on Tuesday (May 19), the Ministry of Law issued an official notification dissolving the activities of the Supreme Court Secretariat and attaching 15 serving judges to the ministry.
The Secretariat had originally been created under the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance 2025 by the interim government as part of efforts to separate the judiciary from the executive branch. However, the ordinance was later repealed by the BNP-led government.
In its earlier verdict regarding judicial separation, the High Court had directed that a separate secretariat be established within three months. Although the state later decided to appeal the judgment, the appeal has reportedly not yet been formally filed.
The High Court also observed that the activities of the secretariat ideally should not have been halted before the legal dispute reached a final conclusion.
END/SMA/AJ
