Hasina to talk to all MPs

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would sit with lawmakers of all parties to discuss the amendment bill which, once passed, would restore the Jatiya Sangsad's authority to impeach Supreme Court judges.

A simple majority vote could impeach a prime minister while a two-thirds majority would be required to impeach a Supreme Court judge on the grounds of misbehaviour or incapacity, she said while addressing her party MPs at Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) meeting at the Sangsad Bhaban last night.

Hasina said she was lucky as this parliament would pass the amendment, a step towards making the constitution the way it was in 1972.

Senior lawmakers of the AL, however, recommended not consulting with the legal experts on the issue, saying that some of them would criticise the move.

Members of the ALPP came down heavily on constitution experts Dr Kamal Hossain and Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam at the meeting for opposing the amendment, according to meeting sources.

AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, former law minister Abdul Matin Khasru, and Law Minister Anisul Huq spoke among others at the meeting.

They told the meeting that if there were allegations against any SC judge about misbehaving or being incapacitated, there would be a judicial enquiry first and then the probe body would refer it to parliament for the final decision, according to meeting sources.

Hasina told her party MPs that now only three people make the decision for impeaching a judge and it was done secretly. She said after the passing of the bill it would be much harder to impeach a judge.