The Supreme Court today deferred to November 16 the date to hear a review petition challenging a High Court verdict that scrapped the 16th amendment to the constitution, which empowers parliament to remove its judges for incapacity or misconduct.

The Appellate Division of the SC was scheduled to hear the six-year-old review petition today.

This morning, a five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the deferment order after writ petitioner's Advocate On Record M Ashrafuzzaman sought adjournment of the hearing.

He told the apex court that the principal counsel for the writ petitioner, Manzill Murshid, has personal difficulties for appearing before this court today.

The government filed the 908-page review petition with the Appellate Division on December 24, 2017 outlining 94 grounds on which this court may consider the government's prayer for restoring the 16th amendment, cancelling the provision of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and striking out some of its observations.

The HC in May, 2016 declared the 16th amendment unconstitutional and void as it found the changes went against the principles of the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary.

The government later filed an appeal against the HC verdict. The Appellate Division rejected the appeal and upheld the HC verdict.