Bangladesh’s parliament voted on Wednesday to grant itself the authority to impeach Supreme Court judges.

A much-debated amendment to the constitution passed by 327-0 votes, with support from the ruling Awami League.

But critics of the amendment, including senior jurists, insisted that the controversial amendment was a thinly veiled way for the ruling party to keep the judiciary under control.

Law Minister Anisul Hoque, who proposed the change, claimed the amendment only allowed parliament to impeach judges on grounds of “misbehaviour or incapacity.”

Previously a council of senior judges led by the chief justice dealt with cases of judicial misconduct.

Opposition parties attacked the government’s amendment, saying that authorities would systemically influence the judiciary, especially in politically sensitive cases.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently criticised two judges for a ruling that instructed police to arrest members of an elite law enforcement agency.