Editorial
Separation of judiciary
Govt's obligation to deliver increases
The separation of judiciary from the executive still seems some way off. The government sought four more months' time, the fifteenth such request for extension of deadline, to implement Supreme Court's 12-point directive on the subject. And the government has got it, like on all the previous occasions since the highest court gave the directions almost four years ago. We understand that implementing such a huge task is not possible overnight, but the procrastination cannot be shrugged off either. Haven't some years already gone by? Both the major political parties, Awami League and BNP had pledged in their election manifestoes that when in power they would take necessary steps to separate the judiciary from the executive. Had they done so during their tenures since 1991, then we would not have been labouring with the unfinished agenda.
We simply hope that this time the government will prove that its pledge, assurances and commitment are not just rhetoric. The latest extension of the deadline by four months, hopefully, would prove enough for the government to comply with the directives.
How else could one justify the repeated requests for extension from the Supreme Court? Especially since the court itself observed that the government's apprehension about the criminal justice system collapsing in case the magistrates exercising judicial function opted for other service, does not have any 'tangible basis.'
In our reckoning, all that is needed now to deliver on this still unfinished agenda is an unwavering political will. We hope the government realises the amount of pressure it's taking on by requesting for extensions from the court to implement the directives. In other words, the obligation on the government's part to implement the directives is increasing with each passing day, in this case with each passing month.
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