Govt gets more time to publish judges’ conduct rules

The Supreme Court has extended time for the government up to November 5 to issue a gazette notification on the rules determining discipline and conduct of lower court judges. A five-member Appellate Division bench, led by acting Chief Justice Abdul Wahhab Miah, passed the order on Sunday following a time-petition filed by attorney general Mahbubey Alam. The Supreme Court also set November 5 for next hearing regarding the matter. On August 20, the apex court gave the government two more weeks to publish the gazette notification. On August 6, the SC extended time up to October 8 for publishing the gazette notification. On July 30, the SC declined to accept the draft of the disciplinary rules and code of conduct for lower court judges which was earlier submitted by the Law Minister to the Chief Justice, and proposed a meeting with the government to settle the issue. Earlier on several occasions, the apex court expressed dissatisfaction at the government's failure to issue the gazette notification. On July 2, the SC gave two more weeks to issue the gazette. On May 29, the apex court gave two more weeks to issue the gazette. On May 15, the SC gave two more weeks to issue the gazette. On May 8, the SC gave one more week to issue the gazette. On April 4, the SC extended time up to May 8 in this connection. On March 14, it extended the time by two weeks for issuing the gazette. Before that, the court, on February 27, gave the government two weeks to publish the gazette as it failed to publish it in time. On February 5, the court ordered the authorities concerned to issue the gazette notification by February 12. On November 24, 2016, it gave the government one week to publish the gazette notification. The lower judiciary was officially separated in November 2007 but the disciplinary rules for lower court judges are yet to be formulated. On December 2, 1999, the Supreme Court in the Masdar Hossain case issued a seven-point directive, including formulating separate disciplinary rules, for the lower court judges. The Law Ministry on May 7, 2015 sent a draft of the rules to the Supreme Court which is similar to the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1985.