Dhaka, Feb 2 – Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, a judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC), has been appointed new Chief Justice (CJ) of the country around three months after Surendra Kumar Sinha resigned from the post.Hours after the announcement of the new CJ, Justice Abdul Wahab Miah, who had been carrying out the activities of Chief Justice and the senior most judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, was learnt to have resigned from his post.
President Abdul Hamid signed the file over Mahmud Hossain’ appointment today, Law Secretary ASM Md Jahirul Haq told UNB.
The new Chief Justice will take oath at 6 pm on Saturday, he said.
Meanwhile, a gazette notification was issued in the evening by the Law and Justice Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in this regard.
Born on December 31, 1954, Mahmud Hossain started his career as a lawyer in 1981, and he was appointed an additional High Court judge in February 2001.
He was made a permanent High Court judge in 2003 while elevated to the Appellate Division in 2011.
He acted as Deputy Attorney General from December in 1999 till his elevation to the Bench.
The post of the chief justice fell vacant when Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha resigned on November 10 last year after he went on leave on health grounds in October.
Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, had been carrying out the activities of Chief Justice since October 3 last year after Sinha went on leave.
He, however, reportedly resigned on Friday evening nearly 10 months before his retirement, apparently for not being made the Chief Justice.
“Justice Abdul Wahab Miah sent his resignation letter to President Abdul Hamid,” a Supreme Court administrative official told UNB, wishing not to be named.
Wahab Miah also took back home his personal files and documents before noon, said the official.
He was made an additional judge to the High Court Division in 1999 and appointed permanent HC judge in 2001. He was also elevated to the Appellate Division in 2011.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said President Abdul Hamid appointed Justice Mahmud Hossain as the country’s 22nd Chief Justice according to Article 95(1) of the Constitution.
Expressing satisfaction over this appointment, the Attorney General said it will accelerate the appointment of Supreme Court judges.
He was talking to reporters immediately after the appointment of the Chief Justice.
Earlier on November 10 last, immediate past CJ Sinha stepped down sending his resignation letter to the President from abroad amid various speculations and row over the Supreme Court’s 16th amendment verdict.
He went on leave on October 3 and left for Australia on October 13.
Just before his departure, Sinha told reporters that he was not sick, contradicting the government claim that he went on leave on health ground.
A day after Sinha’s trip to Australia, the Supreme Court issued a statement saying the Chief Justice is facing 11 charges, including graft and money laundering.
It also said the five judges of the Appellate Division of the apex court declined to sit with Sinha in the bench for delivering justice following the allegations.
On July 3 last, the Appellate Division, led by Sinha, upheld a High Court verdict that declared illegal the 16th amendment of the constitution scrapping the Jatiya Sangsad’s power to remove Supreme Court judges for incapacity or misconduct.
Later on August 1, the Supreme Court released the 799-page text of the verdict after its six judges, including Sinha signed it.
SK Sinha assumed office on January 17, 2015 as the country’s 21st Chief Justice. He was the first non-Muslim chief justice in Muslim majority Bangladesh.
Sinha was supposed to go on retirement on January 31 last. – UNB
