HC verdict on public holiday!

The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday fixed May 24 for passing an order on the leave-to-appeal petition filed against a High Court (HC) verdict.

In an unprecedented move, an HC judge had delivered the verdict in a property related civil case on December 16 last year -- a public holiday on the occasion of Victory Day.

During hearing on the leave-to-appeal petition, the delivery of the verdict by Justice Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, the then HC judge, on a public holiday came to the notice of the three-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain.

Justice Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan has already retired from the service.

During hearing yesterday, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said a judge cannot deliver judgement in any case on a public holiday.

The apex court may give a verdict with some guidelines determining the responsibility of the judges for upholding their honesty, competence and transparency, he added. 

The attorney general told The Daily Star that the HC judge had delivered the judgement in the absence of any lawyer on a public holiday.

Advocate Mahbubey Alam could not say the subject matter of the case in which the then HC bench of Justice Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan had delivered the verdict.

One Johura Khanom had filed the leave-to-appeal petition with the SC against the HC verdict.

Johura's lawyer Advocate Md Ozi Ullah could not be reached for comments over the phone.