Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha has issued a statement before leaving Dhaka for Australia following two and a half months of discussions and criticisms surrounding him.
In the statement issued on Friday night, he said he was ‘physically well, but embarrassed’ by the criticism of the ruling Awami League leaders over the verdict that repealed the 16th amendment they brought to the Constitution.
After the government announced his ‘sick leave’ earlier this month, the BNP alleged the government forced him to go on the leave for upholding the verdict that scrapped parliament’s powers to sack top court judges on ground of incompetency and misconduct.
Denying the allegation, Law Minister Anisul Huq said the chief justice went on leave for health reasons and it had no connection with the verdict.
On Thursday, he said the government only followed Justice Sinha’s wish in issuing the executive order on the leave, its extension and his going abroad.
But the statement which Justice Sinha handed to the reporters in front of his official residence at Hare Road before starting for the airport contradicts the law minister’s claim.
He says in the statement typed in Bangla that he believes a quarter ‘misinterpreted’ the verdict to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, making her ‘feel hurt’ by him.
He has also expressed concern over the law minister’s comment that Justice Abdul Wahhab Miah, who is acting as chief justice in his absence now, is going to bring some administrative changes to the Supreme Court.
Justice Sinha says such deeds will be construed as government ‘interference’ in the apex court’s workings, which will ‘do no good’ to Bangladesh.
