Judges asked to follow top court’s directives when using Facebook

Some judicial officers were not following the instructions given by the court on social media, which was 'unexpected' and 'untoward', it says

The Supreme Court has asked judges to follow its directives on the use of social media.

Some judicial officers were not following the directives given by the court while using social media, which was 'unexpected' and 'untoward,' the top court said in a notice signed by Supreme Court Registrar General Aziz Bhuiyan on Tuesday.

It also said that some judicial officers were using social media during office hours and posting negative comments about their employers and regulators, which was against the office discipline and tantamount to misconduct.

“Under the circumstances, the Bangladesh chief justice has strictly ordered the officers in the judiciary to follow the directives given by this court and not to share any status, comment or post on social media which is unnecessary and contrary to office discipline.”

The judicial officers were asked to follow the existing law of the land in using social media.

The notice asked judiciary officials to follow Supreme Court Circular No. 4J issued on Sept 22, 2019, and Circular No. 2J issued on Apr 16, 2023 while using social media.

Defying the directive will be considered ‘misconduct’ and in such cases, the ‘Bangladesh Judicial Service (Discipline) Policy, 2017’ and other laws and rules will be applicable, the notice said.