Dhaka: The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended time for the government up to 8 May to issue a gazette notification on the disciplinary and conduct rules for lower court judges.

A seven-member SC bench, led by Chief Justice SK Sinha, passed the order following a time-petition filed by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

Earlier on 28 March, the SC extended time for the government by one week to issue the gazette notification.

On 14 March, the Supreme Court extended the time by two weeks for issuing the gazette. On 27 February, it gave the government two weeks to publish the gazette as it failed to publish it.

The court on 5 February ordered the authorities concerned to issue the gazette notification by 12 February. On 24 November, 2016, it gave the government one week to publish the gazette notification.

The lower judiciary was officially separated in November 2007 but the disciplinary rules for lower court judges are yet to be formulated.

On 2 December, 1999, the Supreme Court in the Masdar Hossain case issued a seven-point directive, including formulating separate disciplinary rules, for the lower court judges.

The Law Ministry on 7 May, 2015 sent the draft of the rules to the Supreme Court which is similar to the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1985.