Establishment of Supreme Court secretariat stays

The Appellate Division has stayed the High Court's verdict that directed the establishment of a separate and independent secretariat for the Supreme Court within three months. At the same time, the court has set June 16 for the hearing of the appeal filed against this verdict.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, passed the order on Tuesday (June 9).

Earlier, on September 2, 2025, a High Court bench issued a verdict directing the establishment of an independent secretariat for the Supreme Court within three months. The 185-page full text of the verdict was published on the Supreme Court's website on April 7 of this year.

Subsequently, on November 20, 2025, the then-interim government approved the initiative to set up a separate secretariat. Ten days later, the 'Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance, 2025' was promulgated.

According to the ordinance, various administrative responsibilities concerning the judiciary—including the appointment, transfer, promotion, disciplinary measures, and leave of lower court judges—were vested under the Supreme Court Secretariat. The secretariat officially commenced its operations on December 11, 2025.

However, after the elected BNP government came to power, it initiated moves to repeal the ordinances related to judicial appointments and the secretariat. Following this, the 'Supreme Court Secretariat Abolition Bill, 2026' was passed in the National Parliament on April 9.

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During the passage of the bill, opposition members criticized it, labeling it an interference with the independence of the judiciary. As a result of the law coming into effect, the independent Supreme Court Secretariat lost its legal basis, and judicial administrative activities reverted to the previous framework.

In the meantime, the state filed an appeal against the High Court's verdict, which was then sent to the full bench of the Appellate Division for a hearing. Following an initial hearing on Tuesday, the Appellate Division ordered that the High Court's verdict remain stayed until the appeal is fully resolved.