JS passes Bill replacing 1982 Ordinance for SC judges

The 'Bangladesh Supreme Court Judges (Leave, Pension and Privileges) Bill, 2023' was placed in Parliament on Monday with a provision of a monthly special allowance of Tk70,000 for a retired chief justice.

Law minister Anisul Huq moved the Bill and it was passed by voice vote.

As per the Bill, a "Chief Justice" means the Chief Justice of Bangladesh while "Judge" means a Judge of Appellate Division and High Court Division of the Supreme Court and includes the Chief Justice and Additional Judges.

The special allowance will be given to meet expenses such as paying for domestic help, car driver, house guard and maintenance of office-cum-residence.

The draft law was brought to formulate a law repealing an ordinance of the military regime as per a judgment of the High Court.

The proposed law will replace the Supreme Court Judges (Leave, Pension and Privileges) Ordinance, 1982.

It says the leave granted to a judge may, at his option, be either- leave on full salary; or leave on half salary; or leave partly on full salary and partly on half salary.

For the purpose of this part, any period of leave on full salary shall be reckoned as double the period of leave on half salary.

The aggregate amount of leave granted to a judge during the whole period of service as such shall not exceed, in terms of leave on half salary, 36 months.

The period of leave granted at any one time shall not exceed, in the case of leave on full salary.

The monthly rate of leave salary payable to a judge while on leave on full salary shall be equal to the monthly rate of his salary.

The monthly rate of leave salary payable to a Judge while on leave on half salary shall be equal to half the monthly rate of his salary.

A judge shall be entitled to draw his leave salary in Bangladeshi currency only.

A judge shall, on his retirement, resignation or removal, be paid a pension in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance if he or she has- completed not less than five years of service for pension and attained the retiring age; or completed not less than ten years of service for pension and, before attaining the retiring age, resigned; or completed not less than five years of service for pension and, before attaining the retiring age, either resigned, his resignation having been medically certified to be necessitated by ill health, or been removed for physical or mental incapacity.

The chief justice will get Tk4.50 lakh as injury gratuity and Tk1.50 lakh for annual pension while the amount for both is Tk4.50 and Tk1.40 lakh respectively for justice or additional justice.

The chief justice will get Tk5 lakh as family gratuity and Tk1.40 lakh for annual pension while the amount for both is Tk4 lakh and Tk1.20 lakh respectively for justice or additional justice.

The children of justices will get Tk20,000 if the mother is not alive while Tk12,000 if the mother is alive.