16th amendment: SC appoints 12 jurists as amicus curiae

An eight-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, on Wednesday appointed the jurists as amicus curiae (friends of court) to give their opinions. The eminent lawyers are Dr Kamal Hossian, barrister M Amirul Islam, barrister AF Hassan Arif, barrister Ajmalul Hossain QC, barrister Rafiq-ul Haque, Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan, barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud, TH Khan, barrister MI Farooqui, AJ Mohammad Ali, barrister Shafique Ahmed  and barrister Fida M Kamal. The apex court fixed March 7 for next hearing on the appeal. On September 17, 2014, the parliament passed the “Constitution (16th Amendment) Bill 2014" without any opposition, empowering the parliament to impeach SC judges in the case of their incapacity or professional misconduct. On January 4 this year, the government filed the appeal with the SC. The HC on May 5 last year scrapped the amendment, terming it illegal and contradictory to the national charter.