HC to get more judges

Having appointed six new judges earlier this month, the government is set to appoint five or six more judges to the High Court Division of the Supreme Court.
Sources in the law ministry and the Supreme Court say that the move came in response to the displeasure of some judicial officials who did not like the earlier appointment of six SC lawyers as judges. They say that even pro-Awami League lawyers disapproved the appointments.
The officials demanded that judges of the subordinate judiciary should be appointed through promotions rather than fresh appointment of lawyers.
The government will appoint the new judges within a few days and they will be lawyers and judges of the subordinate judiciary. The lion's share of the new judges will be from the subordinate judiciary.
The additional five or six judges will be appointed to the High Court in order to increase the rate of disposal of cases, Qamrul Islam, state minister for law, told The Daily Star.
On October 4, the government appointed six judges to the High Court, raising the number of judges there to 94.
The six new judges appointed this month are: Supreme Court lawyers SH Nurul Huda Jaigirdar, KM Kamrul Qader (Ripon) and Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarker and former deputy attorney generals Mojibur Rahman Mia, Mostofa Jaman Islam and Mohammad Ullah.
They will have two-year tenure from the day they take oath. They will take oath after the appointment of more judges.
The Awami League-led government has so far appointed 48 High Court judges since assuming power in early 2009.