TOI World Desk
Syed Refaat Ahmed took the oath as Bangladesh‘s new chief justice on Sunday, succeeding Obaidul Hassan, who resigned along with five other Appellate Division judges on Saturday.
The oath-taking ceremony for Chief Justice Ahmed was held at the Darbar Hall of the president’s official residence, with President Mohammed Shahabuddin administering the oath in the presence of chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, who heads the interim government following Hasina’s ouster.
Their resignations came amidst massive street protests demanding a revamp of the judiciary, with protesters gathering at the apex court premises and issuing an ultimatum for the judges to step down by 1 pm.
Hassan, appointed to lead the Supreme Court last year, was targeted by protesters who considered him a loyalist of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Several top officials in Bangladesh, including the Dhaka University vice-chancellor and the Bangla Academy Director General, have also resigned from their posts in the wake of the ongoing protests by students and other demonstrators.
In response to the recent countrywide protests, the law ministry has decided to withdraw all cases filed between July 1 and August 5 within three working days and release those arrested in these cases from Child Detention Centres. The students claimed that these cases were filed to suppress their protests and those of others demanding Hasina’s removal from government.
The oath-taking ceremony for Chief Justice Ahmed was held at the Darbar Hall of the president’s official residence, with President Mohammed Shahabuddin administering the oath in the presence of chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, who heads the interim government following Hasina’s ouster.
Their resignations came amidst massive street protests demanding a revamp of the judiciary, with protesters gathering at the apex court premises and issuing an ultimatum for the judges to step down by 1 pm.
Hassan, appointed to lead the Supreme Court last year, was targeted by protesters who considered him a loyalist of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Several top officials in Bangladesh, including the Dhaka University vice-chancellor and the Bangla Academy Director General, have also resigned from their posts in the wake of the ongoing protests by students and other demonstrators.
In response to the recent countrywide protests, the law ministry has decided to withdraw all cases filed between July 1 and August 5 within three working days and release those arrested in these cases from Child Detention Centres. The students claimed that these cases were filed to suppress their protests and those of others demanding Hasina’s removal from government.