The Crime Desk: The Judicial Service Association, an organization of judges, has requested an urgent review hearing in the Appellate Division to fix the state rank order of the country. On Thursday (January 9) morning, lawyer Barrister Nihad Kabir filed this application in the five-member Appellate Division headed by the Chief Justice. The Appellate Division has asked to keep the state rank order case on January 16 for hearing at Item-10.
Earlier, on January 11, 2015, the Appellate Division gave a verdict fixing the state rank order. The full verdict of which was published on November 10, 2016.
In that verdict, it was said that since the Constitution is the supreme law of the state, constitutional office bearers should be placed at the beginning of the state rank order according to their importance. District judges and members of the judiciary of equal rank will be promoted from number 24 to number 16 in the state rank order, to the status of government secretaries. The highest rank in the Judicial Service is the District Judge. Secretaries are at the highest level in other administrations. Additional District Judges and members of the judiciary of equal rank will be placed just after District Judges, at number 17 in the state hierarchy.
The judgment further stated that the state hierarchy can only be used in state ceremonies. It should not be used in policy-making areas or any other activities.
Incidentally, according to the Rules of Business, a Warrant of Presidency was prepared on September 11, 1986, and published in the form of a notification. It was amended in 2000. Ataur Rahman, former Secretary General of the Bangladesh Judicial Service Association, filed a writ in the High Court challenging the validity of the amended Warrant of Presidency. The High Court gave its verdict on that writ on February 4, 2010. In the verdict, the Warrant of Presidency was cancelled and eight-point instructions were given.
