On Mar 27, an eight-member appeals bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the pleas by Food Minister Md Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq offering unreserved apology and convicted them. The Appellate Division on Thursday published the full verdict, where it said, “The respondents thus neglected their sworn duty to protect the rule of law enshrined in the Constitution. "They have acted in violation of law and are in breach of their oath of office to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.”The verdict, by majority, has been written by Justice Md Imman Ali and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique. Four other judges—Chief Justice Sinha, justices Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, Nazmun Ara Sultana and Mirza Hussain Haider—agreed with Justice Ali’s judgment, which says the ministers violated their oath of office. Justices Syed Mahmud Hossain and Md Nizamul Huq sided with Justice Siddique, who said in his judgment, “There can, therefore, be no question of disagreement with my learned brother as to the findings of guilt of the contemners and sentence awarded.

Source: bd News24 September 01, 2016 10:35 UTC