Law Minister: Supreme Judicial Council to Hear Allegations Against Judges
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Law Minister Anisul Huq has stated that allegations against a Supreme Court justice are not a matter for the government, but rather fall under the purview of the Supreme Judicial Council.
Huq made these remarks on Saturday at the BRAC Centre in Dhaka when questioned by journalists about a widely reported incident at Wills Little Flower School and College. A reporter inquired whether the government had made any decisions or taken any action regarding the allegations against a justice.
Responding to the query, the Law Minister clarified that the issue does not fall under the Ministry of Law’s jurisdiction. “If there is an allegation of misconduct against a Supreme Court justice, the Supreme Judicial Council will look into it. The Ministry of Law or the government has no duty, responsibility, or involvement in this matter,” he stated.
The event at the BRAC Centre was organized for the dissemination of findings from a research study titled ‘Methodological Obstacles in Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunals and Identification of Effective Ways to Resolve These Obstacles’. The research was a collaborative effort between the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and BRAC. The Law Minister was the chief guest at the ceremony.
The controversy at Wills Little Flower School and College stems from an alleged “unpleasant” incident between a teacher and a student in a classroom, which subsequently led to discontent within the institution. Both teachers and students have accused a justice, identified as a parent of a student, of summoning and humiliating the teacher at their residence following the classroom incident.
In response to these accusations, students have organized protests and submitted a memorandum to the Chief Justice through the Registrar General of the Supreme Court. The matter has also garnered significant attention on social media platforms.
The initial “unpleasant” incident occurred on April 16. According to the memorandum submitted by students and accounts from teachers and students, a student sought clarification on a physics question during a Bengali medium class for the tenth grade. The teacher advised the student to consult the Bengali subject teacher for the answer. However, the student persisted, approaching the teacher again. At this point, the teacher allegedly slapped the student, as reported by the teacher and other students, who cited “indecent” behavior from the student.
The teacher informed the newspaper Prothom Alo that they subsequently contacted the student’s guardian to discuss the matter and requested a meeting at the school. When the guardian sought details over the phone, the teacher emphasized the need for a direct conversation due to the “sensitive nature” of the issue and informed them of the guardian’s assurance to visit the school.
The teacher further alleged that on April 18, they were invited to the guardian’s residence through the school authorities. The teacher stated they expected the matter to be resolved there. Instead, the teacher claimed to have experienced “mental torture” during the meeting, which another teacher also attended.
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