ALLEGATIONS AGAINST CJ ACC may initiate probe: LM

Law minister Anisul Huq said on Sunday that most of the allegations raised against chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, now in Australia on sick leave, were under the jurisdiction of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
At a packed press conference at the ministry, the minister said that the commission being an independent entity might now initiate an inquiry into the allegations, made public by the Supreme Court administration on Saturday just a day after the departure of Justice SK Sinha.
‘Eleven specific allegations were raised against the chief justice and almost all of them fall under the jurisdiction of the ACC. Case will be filed if the allegations are found well-grounded after an inquiry,’ the minister told the press conference over the statement Justice Sinha made just before leaving Dhaka for Australian Friday night. 
When approached, commission chairman Iqbal Mahmood refused to make any comment. 
A director general of the graft watchdog, however, said that no such allegations reached the commission till Sunday afternoon.
Replying to a query, lawyer-turned politician Anisul said that no Supreme Judicial Council inquiry into the allegations against the chief justice was possible now as the council had no existence following A Supreme Court verdict that scrapped the 16th amendment to the constitution, which had empowered parliament to remove Supreme Court judges for misbehaviour or incapacity.
There is a kind of vacuum in terms of the provisions for removal of Supreme Court judges, he said, adding that the president had some inherent power here.
‘The government will seek a review of the 16th amendment verdict. In my opinion the Supreme Judicial Council cannot be restored automatically,’ the minister said. 
Referring to the constitution, Anisul said that Appellate Division senior most judge justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah would perform the functions of the chief justice.
Asked about the statement Justice Sinha handed over to waiting reporters in front of the chief justice’s official residence while leaving for the airport on October 13, the minister said, ‘I’m dumbfounded.’
Earlier on Saturday, the Supreme Court administration in a statement termed Justice SK Sinha’s statement misleading and said that there were 11 specific allegations of money laundering, financial irregularity, corruption and moral turpitude against him.
Supreme Court registrar general Syed Aminul Islam issued the statement a day after he saw Justice SK Sinha off at the airport in Dhaka late Friday night. 
On October 5, Justice Sinha and his spouse obtained long-term Australian visas after he reportedly went on a 39-day ‘sick leave’ on October 3.
His sick leave came up in the wake of severe criticism of the ruling Awami League leaders, including prime minister Sheikh Hasina, also the AL president, over the Appellate Division verdict scrapping the 16th amendment to the constitution. 
In his statement, Justice Sinha said that he was fully in sound health.
He said that he was really embarrassed over the criticism against him by a political quarter, lawyers and especially a few ministers and the prime minister on one of his verdict and worried about the independence of the judiciary.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net