HC judge leaves courtroom following argument with junior colleague
The chief justice is to settle the matter if the two judges do not sit together
A senior judge left the courtroom Thursday following an argument with his junior colleague, said lawyers.
They said the two High Court (HC) justices got engaged in a quarrel before leaving the courtroom over attaching a dedicated Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) officer to the court.
ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told reporters that senior HC judge Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder disconnected himself from the virtual court at around 11 am during a case hearing.
"Subsequently, the junior judge of the bench Justice SM Mujibur Rahman also disconnected himself, leaving the trial suspended. The two judges did not take part in any other case hearing all day," said the ACC lawyer.
AKM Amin Uddin Manik, deputy attorney general of the bench, said the issue would be resolved by the chief justice if the two judges did not take any initiative to conduct trials together.
According to court sources, Thursday's hearing was over ACC's embezzlement charges against former BNP chief whip Zainul Abedin Farroque's wife Kaniz Fatema. During the hearing, there was no ACC lawyer representing the anti-graft watchdog. Annoyed by the absence, Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder proposed attaching an ACC official to the court.
"Those who are not able to investigate the ACC case properly should be brought to the court and kept waiting for the hearing," said the senior judge.
"Does not the ACC have any other work to do that it would send an official to the court just to sit idle?" the junior judge of the bench Justice SM Mujibur Rahman replied.
The senior judge said, "It is a problem if the junior judge of the bench talks so much."
The junior judge replied, "Then why does it require two judges on a bench?"
Immediately ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam joined the hearing online and told the court that the ACC is facing a manpower crisis. Therefore, it is not possible to have a full-time officer in the court.
The senior judge then left the court expressing dissatisfaction with the junior colleague.
In December 2019, the High Court issued a rule over dismissing the ACC case. At the same time, the proceedings of the case were adjourned for three months.
The hearing on the rule was scheduled for Thursday.
