Appellate Division crossed limit in verdict on MPs heading school committees: Fazle Rabbi

The Appellate Division verdict on MPs heading managing committees of schools and colleges in their constituencies has ‘crossed the limit’, Parliament Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah has said.

Miah made the comments in view of the speech of Awami League MP Abdur Rahman in Parliament on Tuesday.

“The case centred on one institution. But I think the court has crossed the limit to some extent to take the decision in this case,” Miah said.

“Some lawyers have also disagreed with the verdict,” he added.

The High Court on June 1 ruled that the heading of governing bodies of educational institutions by MPs ran contrary to the Constitution. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the decision.

With the Parliament-judiciary ‘dispute’ over amendment of laws to remove Supreme Court judges by Parliament as the backdrop, MP Rahman demanded Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid’s statement in Parliament on Tuesday.

The ruling party leader said MPs had been heading the committees of private educational institutions in their localities following an education ministry circular issued by the power of administrative decision.

“It’s true that I am not eager to head institutions. In fact, I am not the president of any institution other than a technical college named after me,” Rahman said.

“But the process followed in asking MPs not to chair any committee of educational institutions has violated our rights,” he said.

“On the one hand, it’s true that we will follow the Supreme Court’s decision. On the other hand, a question has arisen – whether the decision should be within the ministry’s administrative decisions or whether it should go outside the ministry to the court,” he added.

He demanded the education minister’s statement or a circular from the ministry to ‘remove the perplexities’.