'Judges can perform duties at a workplace for 3 years'

The Supreme Court administration has drafted the lower court judges' transfer and posting rules incorporating a provision that a judge can perform duties in a single workplace for maximum three years.

However, if it appears to the chief justice that any judge is engaged in any special duty or there is a possibility of disruption in the administration of justice if the judge is transferred, in that case the judge can perform the assigned duties at the same workplace for a maximum of one year, according to the drafted rules titled as the Lower Court Judges' Transfer and Posting Rules, 2004.

It said without any exception, the judges of the subordinate courts must be transferred to civil and criminal courts by turn.

The drafted rules said no judge can be transferred without a vacancy. A judge cannot be transferred to a court or tribunal where their family members are engaged in legal profession.

Before joining the Bangladesh Judicial Service, if a judge has practiced law for a minimum of two years from a district bar association, he or she will not be eligible for appointment as a judge in that district for the next 10 years from the date of joining the service.

If any judge who owns more than 10 decimals of agricultural or non-agricultural land in a district, he cannot be posted in that district, according to the five-page drafted policy.

The SC administration has sent the draft policy to all the lower court judges across the country today and asked them to give their opinions on the drafted rules by November 7 to the SC registrar general's office via email address aticklaw@gmail.com or Whatsapp 01716185583.

Earlier on September 21, Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed in an address to lower court judges outlined a roadmap for the judiciary including formulating a rules for transfer and posting of subordinate court judges.