Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan to resign amid student protests

New Delhi, Aug 10: Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan has announced his decision to step down from his position following intense student protests demanding his resignation.

The protests, which took place earlier today, saw students and lawyers gathering at the Supreme Court premises, issuing an ultimatum for the Chief Justice and Appellate Division judges to resign by 1:00 PM.

 The demonstrators threatened to besiege the judges’ residences if their demands were not met, according to Hasnat Abdullah, one of the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, as reported by The Daily Star.

In a statement to journalists at the SC premises, Chief Justice Hassan explained his decision to resign was made with the safety of judges across the country in mind, considering the rapidly escalating situation.

“There are some formalities for the resignation. After completing those, I will send my resignation letter to President Mohammed Shahabuddin by this evening,” he stated. When asked if other judges of the SC would also resign, he responded, “It’s their decision.”

The protest, which began around 10:30 AM, saw several hundred participants, including students and lawyers, converge on the Supreme Court premises, demanding the resignation of the Chief Justice and Appellate Division judges.

The unrest was further fuelled by a social media post earlier that morning from Asif Mahmud, the advisor to the Youth and Sports Ministry of the interim government, who called for the unconditional resignation of Chief Justice Hassan and the cessation of a full court meeting scheduled for the day.

In response to the growing tension, Chief Justice Hassan postponed the full court meeting, which had been convened to discuss whether the court’s functions would continue virtually.

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, who was appointed to lead the Supreme Court last year, has been viewed as a loyalist to the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Despite the volatile situation, there has been no comment so far from Mohammad Yunus, the head of the caretaker government, who had previously appealed for peace and urged people not to engage in violence.