Chief justice appointment: Consensus reached on two key issues, says Ali Riaz

National Consensus Commission Vice Chairman Professor Ali Riaz announced that political parties in Thursday’s discussion agreed on amending Article 95 of the Constitution and requiring the President to appoint the Chief Justice from Appellate Division judges.

At the Foreign Service Academy, during a briefing after the 11th day of the second phase of dialogue with political parties, he explained that the current Constitution does not mandate such a guideline for the President.

Two differing opinions emerged on whether the most senior judge or one of the two most senior judges should be appointed, with the commission planning further discussions.

Present were commission members Justice Md. Emdadul Haque, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, Dr. Md. Ayub Miah, and the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider.

On July 7, discussions on declaring a state of emergency led to agreement on amending Article 141(A) and preventing its misuse as a political tool.

Proposals were made to eliminate the “internal disturbance” clause in Article 141(A) and replace the Prime Minister’s signature with cabinet approval. The commission and parties concurred that the issue needs clearer definition, with further details to be discussed next week.

Regarding the caretaker government, two proposals were discussed, with all parties aiming for a near-flawless system, though more deliberation is needed.

Representatives from 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party, Gano Odhikar Parishad, Gonosanghati Andolon, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Biplobi Workers Party, and Amar Bangladesh Party, participated.