7 out of chosen 14 to get appointment

The Supreme Judicial Commission yesterday recommended 14 people to the president, for appointing seven of them as judges of the High Court (HC) Division of the Supreme Court (SC).
Sources said 10 of the recommended persons are practising lawyers while the remaining four are currently at the level of district judges.
The commission took the decision of recommending them in its third meeting since formation.
Sources said about 40 names were before the commission for selection.
On October 16, the commission recommended four senior judges of the HC Division for appointment as judges of the Appellate Division.
The president will choose two from them, as two posts in the division have been vacant since July 2.
Commission member barrister Shafique Ahmed yesterday hoped that the judges will be appointed in a very transparent way and nobody will get appointment on political consideration, 'in contrast to how it had been done in the past'.
“It's a preliminary selection, the president will make the appointments. I hope qualified and honest judges will be appointed to the High Court," he said talking to reporters.
He said earlier the commission had decided to recommend 20 persons for 10 posts of HC judges, but it later changed the numbers, considering the government's limitations in providing logistical support, staff, and other facilities to the new judges.
He also said at least 20 new judges should be appointed to the HC in order to adjudicate the pending cases fairly and speedily.
The HC now has 61 judges. In 2004, 19 judges were appointed, raising the number to 72, but 11 of them have either already been retired or been promoted to the Appellate Division.
Chief Justice MM Ruhul Amin, who is the chairman of the commission, presided over the meeting in his office in the Supreme Court building yesterday afternoon.
Commission members -- Law Adviser AF Hassan Ariff, Appellate Division Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim, Justice Md Tafazzal Islam and Justice Md Joynul Abedin, High Court Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman and Justice Md Abdul Quddus, Attorney General Salauddin Ahmed, and Supreme Court Bar Association President Barrister Shafique Ahmed also attended the meeting.