They said that any attempt to decentralise the High Court Division would weaken the judiciary. They also threatened to launch a mass movement if any plans of relocation were not scrapped.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel.Earlier in February, the Judiciary Reform Commission, in its report submitted to the chief adviser, recommended the establishment of permanent HC benches in divisional cities in order to decentralise the judiciary and to reduce the backlog of cases.
Last week, political parties reached a consensus on establishing permanent benches of the High Court in divisional headquarters, according to Ali Riaz, vice-president of the National Consensus Commission.
While addressing a crowd during the protest today, Barrister Mahfuzur Rahman Milon, acting secretary of the SCBA, said, “Weakening the judiciary by relocating the High Court benches would be a major mistake. If the government does not retreat it, lawyers will launch an unrelenting movement.”
Other speakers at the event, held under the banner of general lawyers, included Sheikh Atiar Rahman, Barrister Moksedul Islam, and Mahbubur Rahman Khan, among others.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court lawyer Saiful Islam today submitted an application to the chief justice, urging reconsideration of any initiative to relocate the High Court benches to divisional cities.
In the application, he referred to Article 100 of the Constitution, which states that the principal seat of the Supreme Court will remain in the capital, Dhaka.
He said though temporary sessions of the High Court Division may be held elsewhere, any permanent relocation would contradict the constitutional spirit. It warned that establishing separate benches in different divisions could lead to inconsistency in the application of law and create confusion.
“It would damage the unity and policymaking authorit
