HC calls for status quo on SC Secretariat pending appeal

The High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has urged the government to maintain the current structure of the Supreme Court Secretariat until a pending appeal is resolved.

The observation came on Monday during the preliminary hearing of a writ petition by a bench comprising Justice Ahmed Sohel and Justice Fatema Anwar. The court also postponed further hearing on the matter until the appeal is decided by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.

The writ petition challenges the legality of an ordinance issued by the interim government to establish a separate secretariat for the judiciary. The petitioners argued in favor of retaining an independent secretariat for the Supreme Court.

Senior lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir represented the petitioners, while Attorney General Barrister Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal appeared for the state.

The petition was filed in the public interest by seven Supreme Court lawyers, including Advocate Saddam Hossain, naming several top government officials as respondents.

Earlier, on April 9, the Jatiya Sangsad repealed three ordinances related to judicial appointments and the formation of a separate Supreme Court secretariat. The move, passed despite opposition objections, restored the previous judicial structure and removed the legal basis for the proposed secretariat.

The High Court had previously directed the establishment of a separate secretariat for the judiciary, but the government is now preparing to challenge that ruling in the Appellate Division.