Attorney General's Appeal for the Restoration of Referendum Provision
Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman has appealed to the High Court for the reinstatement of the referendum provision in the Constitution.
On Wednesday, November 13, he submitted this appeal during the hearing of a rule regarding the annulment of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution at the High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury.
The Attorney General stated that Article 142 of the Constitution previously contained the provision for a referendum. However, this provision was removed through the Fifteenth Amendment. He emphasized the need to restore the referendum, arguing that the amendment was abolished by members of parliament who were elected through alleged "vote theft" at night.
During the hearing, he remarked that the Fifteenth Amendment is in direct contradiction to the spirit of the Liberation War.
Md. Asaduzzaman argued that the amendment has harmed the fundamental structure of the Constitution, and unless it is repealed, the souls of those who sacrificed themselves in the public uprisings of '90 and '24 will not find peace.
He added that by abolishing the caretaker government system, democracy, fundamental rights, and the rule of law have been undermined.
The Attorney General further claimed that the Fifteenth Amendment has prolonged fascism, weakened the sovereignty of the state, and compromised the supremacy of the Constitution. Thus, the amendment must be repealed.
Earlier, on August 19, the High Court issued a rule asking why the Fifteenth Amendment—which abolished the caretaker government system—should not be deemed unconstitutional. This rule was issued by the High Court bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Shashanka Shekhar Sarkar following a hearing on a writ petition filed by SUJAN Secretary Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar.
On June 30, 2011, the Fifteenth Amendment was passed in the National Parliament. This amendment officially recognized Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the Father of the Nation, abolished the caretaker government system, and increased the number of reserved seats for women in Parliament from 45 to 50.
Comments