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Judicial authority law will not pass without judges' approval - Shura Council
A general view shows the Shura Council during its meeting in Cairo December 26, 2012. The Islamist-dominated upper house of parliament (Shura Council), which now holds legislate power, is meeting for the first time on Wednesday, under the newly-approved constitution. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih
The Shura Council (upper house of parliament) would not approve any amendments to the judicial authority law without referring it first to the Supreme Judicial Council and other judicial bodies for approval, said Head of Councils' Legislative Committee Mohamed Tosoun on Wednesday.
The Shura Council is currently endowed with legislative powers until a lower house of parliament is elected, according to the new constitution.
"We are keen on legislation that respects the judiciary's independence," Tosoun said during a legislative committee meeting, reported the Middle East News Agency.
The Shura member added that judges should keep away from politics and abide by the principle of the autonomy of authorities.
Tosoun demanded that the judiciary not intervene in acts of legislation.
"The judiciary will not be purged through insults and the parliament will not be addressed through legal warnings as well-- we all realize that purging the judiciary will only occur from within," he said.
The Judges' Club sent a legal warning to the Shura Council to prevent it from passing the draft law, saying, “The legislative authority that is temporarily granted to the Shura Council should be limited to pressing legislation only.”
A member of Freedom and Justice Party, political arm of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood group, said that the draft law is only a proposition.
The president's legal adviser resigned on Tuesday, objecting to "jeopardising the independence of the judiciary" among other reasons.
Mohamed Fouad Gadalla's resignation came three days following the resignation of Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki, who tendered his own in response to protests for purging the judiciary.
Hundreds of lawyers staged protests on Tuesday outside a Cairo court in objection to a judicial authority draft law.
On Friday, the Brotherhood and Islamist political forces staged mass protests outside Cairo's High Judicial Council, calling for purging the judiciary, sacking the justice minister and trying the head of the Judges' Club and the former prosecutor-general.
