Deferring election date impossible: Moudud

The constitution does not give anybody the power to hold election after 90 days of the caretaker government, he added.

The roundtable titled 'Democracy and Judiciary: Current Concern' was organised jointly by National Integration and Development Council (NIDC) and Caucus of Young Legal Professionals at Cirdap auditorium in the city.

Speaking as chief guest, Moudud criticised the 14-party opposition combine saying," We are yet to know which is their last demand."

Pointing to the incident of vandalism on the premises of Supreme Court (SC) on November 30 by pro-Awami League (AL) lawyers, he said the Chief Justice's (CJ) order to stay the proceedings of writ petitions challenging the legality of the president's taking over as chief adviser was not unprecedented.

Such stay order also took place earlier, and what the senior lawyers could do on that day was to request the CJ to review the stay order instead of creating a bad example for the young lawyers by vandalising different sections of the Supreme Court, Moudud added.

They are blowing hot and cold in the same breath, he said, adding that they are speaking of the separation of judiciary on one hand and on the other hand they are disobeying the CJ by telling him not to go to the court.

Terming the vandalism on SC premises 'totally unprecedented', the speakers said it was a criminal offence and it took place under the direct provocation of a group of senior lawyers.

Demanding their exemplary punishment, they said the pro-AL lawyers attacked the institution which is the safeguard of the constitution.

NIDC Executive Director Dr Mahfuj Parvez presided over the discussion while former general secretary of Bangladesh Political Science Association Prof Hasan Mohammad presented the keynote paper.

Prof Borhan Uddin Khan of Dhaka University, Prof Akhter Hossain Khan, Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun, Journalist Maruf Kamal Khan, Dr Mamun Ahmed, Barrister Nowshad Jamir and Barrister SM Atiqur Rahman also spoke.