Govt gets two weeks to finalise judges’ discipline rules

High Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the time by two weeks for issuing a gazette notification for the government on the disciplinary and conduct rules for lower court judges.

An eight-member SC bench, led by Chief Justice SK Sinha, passed the order following a time-petition filed by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

The court adjourned the hearing of the case for two weeks.

On February 27, the SC gave the government two weeks to publish the gazette.

The court on February 5 ordered the authorities concerned to issue the gazette notification on the disciplinary and conduct rules for the lower court judges by February 12.

On November 24, 2016, the Supreme Court gave the government one week to publish the gazette notification on the disciplinary rules for the judicial officers.

The lower judiciary was officially separated in November 2007 but the disciplinary rules for lower court judges are yet to be formulated.

On December 2, 1999, the Supreme Court in the Masdar Hossain case issued a seven-point directive, including formulating separate disciplinary rules, for the lower court judges.

The law ministry on May 7, 2015 sent the draft of the rules to the Supreme Court which is similar to the Government Servants (discipline and appeal) Rules 1985.

Source: New Age