Dhaka: The Appellate Division has issued a stay on the High Court verdict which mandated the creation of a separate Secretariat for subordinate courts under the Supreme Court within a period of three months. This decision was made on Tuesday by a four-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, following a petition submitted by the state.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Appellate Division has also scheduled a hearing for June 16 to address the appeal challenging the High Court’s judgment. In the meantime, the High Court’s verdict will remain on hold until the appeal is resolved. During the proceedings, Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kajal represented the state, while Senior lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir advocated on behalf of the writ petitioner.
The directives from the High Court, issued on September 2 of the previous year, called for the establishment of a separate Secretariat under the Supreme Court for subordinate courts, with a deadline of three months for implementation. The comprehensive text of the judgment was made public on April 7 of the current year.
Furthermore, on April 20, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SUJAN), filed an appeal seeking to uphold the status quo regarding the Supreme Court Secretariat and to suspend the provisions of the Supreme Court Secretariat (Repeal) Act. Subsequently, on May 21, the state submitted an appeal requesting the annulment of the High Court’s verdict and sought a stay on its execution pending the appeal’s outcome.