Review petition filed against 16th amendment verdict

The government on Sunday filed petition seeking review of Appellate Division’s July 3 verdict scrapping the 16th amendment that empowered parliament to remove Supreme Court judges for ‘misbehaviour or incapacity’.

The 908-page petition was filed around one month and a half after chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha resigned on November 10 at the end of his 39-day leave abroad.

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam told reporters that the petition would be moved for seeking a date for hearing after the Supreme Court’s winter vacation that would resume on January 2.

The government began making the preparations for filing the review petition after the chief justice left the country, on what is believed to be forced leave.

The government drew severe criticism from all quarters for sending chief justice Sinha on forced leave as he penned the unanimous verdict that struck down the 16th amendment.

The full verdict was released on August 1.

On September 13, in a unanimous resolution parliament demanded appropriate legal steps be taken to repeal the verdict that struck down the 16th amendment, terming it ‘ultra vires and unconstitutional’.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net