Bangladesh Chief Justice to resign as protesters surround Supreme Court

Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan has decided to resign from his post after protesters surrounded the Supreme Court on Saturday and gave him an ultimatum to quit within an hour, 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.

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. He said he would send his resignation letter to President Mohammed Shahabuddin by Saturday evening.

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.

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 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.

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