Legal and constitutional experts emphasized today the importance of enhancing citizens’ rights and safeguarding judicial independence, asserting that Bangladesh’s Constitution should better embody the equilibrium between state authority and individual liberties. The discussion, commemorating the 53rd anniversary of the constitution, took place at the RC Mozumder Auditorium of Dhaka University, where former members of the Constitution Reform Commission, Supreme Court attorneys, and scholars advocated for reforms aligning the nation’s legal structure with global human rights benchmarks.
Dr. Sharif Bhuiyan, a senior advocate at the Supreme Court and ex-commission member, disclosed that the commission had furnished comprehensive suggestions to eliminate the provision for preventive detention and establish enforceable economic and social rights. He lamented that despite the clear recommendation, subsequent political negotiations failed to incorporate these proposals, settling instead for vague commitments to ‘expand’ rights without specific actions.
Dr. Bhuiyan critiqued the prevailing power structure for its ‘authoritarian tendency,’ highlighting a preoccupation with power consolidation over rights expansion. Addressing ongoing Supreme Court cases, he underscored the profound repercussions of challenges to the 5th, 13th, and Article 116 amendments on human rights and the rule of law, emphasizing the critical role of an independent judiciary in protecting citizens’ rights.
Firoz Ahmed, a writer and commission member, highlighted what he described as the ‘inherent contradiction’ within the 1972 Constitution. He noted that while the spirit of the Liberation War advocated for freedom and justice, the constitution’s drafting process centralized power in a single individual’s hands. Ahmed proposed a unified “Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms” to enhance citizen awareness of their entitlements, stressing the need for explicit constitutional provisions safeguarding fundamental rights even during emergencies and acknowledging the rights of indigenous peoples and diverse communities.
Among the attendees were Barrister Rashna Imam, Dr. Kazi Zahed Iqbal, Psymhe Wadud, Millat Hossain, and Sara Hossain, a senior advocate and honorary executive director of BLAST.