SC vexed by delay

The Supreme Court yesterday expressed annoyance at the government's delay in raising the salaries of the lower court judges despite its repeated orders since last July.
The court said the judiciary would collapse gradually if things continued this way and criticised Attorney General Mahbubey Alam when he sought four more months, saying the government was planning a law regarding the judges' salaries and amenities.
The six-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain said sending the matter to parliament meant it would go to the cold storage.
The apex court has, for several times, asked the government to give the lower court judges additional allowances equivalent to their basic salaries and increase other amenities.
On March 14, the court directed the government to increase the pay scale of the judicial officials by 30 percent instead of 20 percent by April 15.
The government instead submitted a time petition yesterday.