Leave basic structure alone

Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque yesterday said the basic structure of the constitution, which was gained at a cost of 30 lakh lives during the Liberation War, should not be altered.
He, however, said the constitution can be amended leaving its main pillars intact, and that the move to bring necessary changes to the charter is a “good initiative”.
He was addressing a function organised by Bangladesh Bar Council to give enrolment certificates to new lawyers at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.
The chief justice said the constitution should be amended in line with the spirit of the martyrs and freedom fighters who won the nation a flag, a map and a national anthem.
Explaining the historical background in which the provision for impeachment of judges was introduced, he noted that in earlier times, the kings and emperors used to appoint and dismiss judges at will.
The Act of Settlement 1701 was enacted in Britain to allow a two-thirds majority in parliament to impeach judges for any gross misconduct.
The provision had been incorporated in the law to save the judges from any injustice to them, he continued.
The chief justice's statement came against the backdrop of the ruling Awami League and allies seeking restoration of a provision of the 1972 constitution, which had empowered the House to impeach judges.
Presently, the judges can be impeached only by the supreme judicial council comprising the chief justice and two other senior judges of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
The function was addressed, among others, by Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, chairman of the Bar Council's enrolment committee; Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, chairman of the council; and Abdul Baset Majumder, vice-chairman.