Bangladesh Chief Justice forced to resign amid protests
Bangladesh, Aug 10 : Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan on Saturday resigned from his post after protesters surrounded the Supreme Court and gave him an ultimatum to quit within an hour. The country’s Parliamentary affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul confirmed the development and said the Chief Justice’s resignation has reached the Law Ministry, Bangladesh newspaper The Daily Star reported.
The protesters had warned that they would storm the residences of the judges of the top court and the Chief Justice if they failed to resign.
“I feel it is necessary to share a special news with you. Our chief justice has resigned few minutes back. His resignation letter has already reached at the law ministry. We will send it to the president without delay for taking necessary measures,” Asif Nazrul said in a video message in his Facebook post.
The Chief Justice told the media he had decided to step down considering the safety of the judges of the top court and lower courts across the country.
The fresh protests started after news emerged that the Chief Justice had summoned a full-court meeting. Hundreds of protesters, including students and lawyers, marched towards the Supreme Court and occupied its premises. Army personnel were also deployed to protect the Supreme Court.
A protester, Abdul Muqaddim, claimed a conspiracy was being hatched by the chief justice to declare the interim government illegal.
“The fascists are trying to use the Supreme Court and the chief justice to declare the interim government illegal. That’s why we came to the Supreme Court premises to force the chief justice to resign,” Muqaddim told The Daily Star.
Asif Nazrul, law adviser to the interim government, said there were multiple controversies surrounding Obaidul Hassan, and he allegedly stayed at the residences of various Awami League leaders when he went abroad.
Asif Mahmud, the adviser to the Sports Ministry of the interim government, also demanded the “unconditional resignation of Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan” and cancellation of the full court meeting.
Amid the tensions, the Chief Justice postponed the meeting of the judges, the report said.
Chaos gripped the neighbouring country after students started a protest over a controversial quota system that reserved up to 30 per cent of government jobs for family members of 1971 war veterans. As the protests gained momentum, the Supreme Court cut the job quotas to 5%.
However, the protests subsequently took a different turn, with agitators demanding Hasina’s resignation. The ensuing violence has left over 500 people dead and hundreds more injured.
On Monday, Hasina resigned as Bangladesh Prime Minister and fled the country. An interim government has been formed under Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus.
-The India Today
