Justice ABM Khairul Haque on Sunday was appointed the 19th chief justice of Bangladesh.
The president, Zillur Rahman, made the appointment with effect from September 30.
Justice Khairul Haque will replace the incumbent chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim, who will retire on September 29.
Justice Khairul Haque was appointed chief justice superseding two senior judges of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court — Justice Md Abdul Matin and Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman.
The Supreme Court Bar Association has earlier demanded appointment of the senior most Appellate Division judge as chief justice.
The bar association president, Khnadaker Mahbub Hossain, however, on Sunday told New Age the bar association accepted the appointment with reservations and resentment.
‘The image of the highest court may be tarnished, the people may lose their confidence in the judiciary and the people in the legal arena may be embarrassed if we hold any protests,’ he said.
He said, ‘Now we hope the new chief justice, through dispensation of his duties, will ensure the people’s rights and uphold the constitution and the image of the judiciary.’
Justice Khairul Haque, born in Madaripur on May 19, 1944, will retire on May 19, 2011.
The superseded Justice Md Abdul Matin will have no chance to chief justice as he will retire on December 26.
Although Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman will retire on November 15, 2011, he is unlikely to be chief justice as he was superseded by Justice Khairul Haque.
Of the other Appellate Division judges, Justice Md Muzammel Hossain will retire on January 17, 2015 and Justice Surandra Kumar Sinha on February 1, 2018.
Justice Khairul Haque is likely to be chief adviser to the next caretaker government to be formed to run the state during the next general elections to be held by April 2014 as he will retire on May 19, 2011 and no other chief justice is likely to retire before April 2014.
Khairul obtained his bachelor of law degree from Dhaka University and Bar-at-Law from Lincolns Inn in London.
He was enrolled as an advocate of the district court in 1970, the High Court Division in 1976 and the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in 1982.
He was elevated to additional judge of the High Court Division on April 27, 1998 and appointed a regular judge of the same division on April 27, 2000.
He was elevated to the Appellate Division on July 14, 2009.
Khairul was later appointed chairman of the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission on March 25, 2010.
He delivered a number of important judgements including the ones that declared illegal the fifth amendment to the constitution, ruled Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and not Ziaur Rahman, was the proclaimer of the country’s independence, ordered preservation of memorial of independence in Suhrawardy Udyan, ordered protection of four rivers around Dhaka and ordered removal of tannery industries outside the capital.
He delivered a dissenting judgement upholding the death sentences of all the 15 accused given by the trial court in the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case while the senior judge of the High Court bench upheld the sentences of 10 convicts.
