By KUNA
New Delhi : The military-backed caretaker government of Bangladesh has decided to create a body headed by the Supreme Court chief justice to recommend judges for appointment in the Apex Court.
“The interim cabinet in its weekly meeting Tuesday night decided to create a Supreme Judicial Commission headed by the chief justice to ensure neutral and credible appointment of Supreme Court judges,” news agency Press Trust of India reported Wednesday from Dhaka, quoting a government spokesperson.
The recommendations by the Supreme Judicial Commission will, however, have to be approved by the Bangladesh President, the spokesperson said.
The Commission, through the Prime Minister, would recommend to the President two candidates for each vacant post without any order of preference. The commission members may also interview the candidates, the spokesperson said.
The Supreme Judicial Commission will be a nine-member body headed by the chief justice. The other eight members of the Commission will be the country’s Law Minister, two senior most judges of the Appellate Division, the attorney general, a member of parliament each from the government and the opposition, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and the law secretary.
In another decision, the interim administration has also decided to delink the Bangladesh Election Commission from the government.
The cabinet meeting last night approved the Election Commission Secretariat Ordinance 2008, one of Bangladesh’s leading English daily ‘New Age’ reported Wednesday. The Election Commission has sought full autonomy for finance and choice of staff. It has the responsibility to conduct Parliamentary elections later this year, which was earlier called off in January 2007.