Joy wants Parliament’s power back to sack judges

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed Joy thinks Parliament’s power to sack Supreme Court judges for wrongdoing should be restored through constitutional amendment.

In a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday night, he wrote Bangladesh needed to go back to the roots and make a fresh start through the 16th Amendment to the Constitution.

The amendment will be pushed through on Wednesday, giving back Parliament the jurisdiction to axe judges.

The Bill was tabled by law minister Anisul Huq on Sept 7. It was then forwarded to the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for scrutiny.

Committee chairman Suranjit Sengupta placed a report on it in last Sunday's session.

Joy said in the post: “The United States Constitution gives Congress the power to impeach Supreme Court justices and even the president. Some people have been trying to raise controversy over the 16th Amendment bill”

He said: “... as far as I know, most democracies grant their parliaments the power to impeach their Supreme Court justices.”

Joy, also information technology advisor to the prime minister, said judges’ removal required a two-thirds majority vote in Parliament, the same super majority required to change the Constitution.

“If a two-thirds majority of Parliament can change the Constitution, then why cannot they remove justices?” he questioned.

Several jurists and senior lawyers, including Dr Kamal Hossain, opposed the government move to restore Parliament’s authority.

Joy said Bangladesh Parliament should have the same powers and rights as most democracies around the world. “Why are some people opposed to this? Perhaps they have their own vested interests.”

He said the 16th Amendment would restore Bangladesh’s original Constitution of 1972 ‘almost completely’.

“It would undo all the illegal and unconstitutional manipulations of the military dictators from 1975, primarily by General Ziaur Rahman. Our Supreme Court itself has ruled that all of these changes were unconstitutional and made illegally,” he added.

The prime minister’s son said he found it ‘very amusing’ that some of the prominent people who opposed the bill were the very ones who helped to draft the country’s original Constitution of 1972.

He said he wanted to return to Bangladesh’s ‘original Constitution’.

“We must undo all the damages done to our nation by dictators and usurpers.

“A nation that forgets its roots is a nation lost. We must go back to our roots and make a fresh start,” he added.