SC Secretariat appeal hearing postponed until September 1

The Appellate Division has postponed the appeal hearing against the High Court’s verdict directing the establishment of a separate and independent secretariat for the Supreme Court until September 1.

The Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Zubair Rahman Chowdhury, gave the order on Tuesday in response to the state’s appeal. Earlier, the Appellate Division had stayed the High Court’s verdict on June 9.

The High Court had given its verdict directing the establishment of a separate secretariat for the judiciary within three months in response to a writ petition filed by seven lawyers. 

Last year, the interim government issued an ordinance establishing the Supreme Court Secretariat in light of that verdict.

After the formation of a separate secretariat, 90 percent of the work, including the recruitment of manpower, was completed. 

However, when the BNP government came to power, the Supreme Court annulled the Secretariat Ordinance. Then, the Supreme Court abolished the Secretariat and took 15 officials back to the Law Ministry on May 19.