Parliamentary panel peeved at absence of Supreme Court registrar in meeting on judges’ pay ‘undesired’
A parliamentary panel has made no bones about how upset it is after the Supreme Court registrar general skipped meetings on the pay and pension of top judges.
Suranjit Sengupta, the chief of the parliamentary standing committee on the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry, spoke about the matter in Parliament on Sunday.
He was presenting a report on Supreme Court Judges (Remuneration and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Asked for his reaction to Sengupta’s comment, Supreme Court Registrar General Syed Aminul Islam told bdnews24.com: “It won’t be right to comment on the matter without knowing fully about it.”
Suranjit said in Parliament that the Supreme Court registrars had attended meetings on invitation of parliamentary panels several times during the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Parliaments.
“But no-one appeared in the current committee’s meeting to give their views on two bills,” he said.
“They have mysteriously had differing opinions, leading to complications in the screening of the two bills and a delay in the submission of the report.
Law Minister Anisul Huq placed the bill in Parliament to hike judges’ pay amidst an outcry by MPs in May over a High Court verdict that declared a Parliament decision unconstitutional.
The bill was forwarded to the committee for vetting.
Another bill – Supreme Court Judges (Leave, Pension and Privilege) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 – was placed in Parliament in June last year to raise pension of retired judges.
The bill is awaiting passage now.
The parliamentary panel held meetings on the bills on June 15 and 28.
Suranjit said the Supreme Court sent a letter to the speaker instead of sending a representative, which he found ‘needless’.
The panel chief also said Prime minister Sheikh Hasina was informed about the matter.
He said the prime minister immediately heard opinions from ‘both sides’ and took ‘firm steps’ for a ‘simple solution’.
“In line with her effort and like other people holding constitutional posts, the Supreme Court judges needed to get an immediate raise in their salary and allowances,” he said.
“Taking the matter into consideration, the committee is presenting the report on the bill,” he added.
The veteran parliamentarian also hoped that the committee will get the Supreme Court registrar general in its next meetings.
