Chief Justice Obydul Hasan has resigned from his position. This was confirmed by the Ministry of Law around 2:30 PM today, Saturday.
Earlier today, from 10:30 AM, protestors gathered in front of the extended building of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, demanding the resignation of the Chief Justice and seven other judges of the Appellate Division. At around 1:30 PM, it was reported that the Chief Justice had made the decision to resign. By 2:00 PM, the protestors left the High Court area. It is also reported that five other judges of the Appellate Division may resign today.
In response to the resignation demand, Professor Asif Nazrul, the legal advisor to the interim government, said at the Secretariat this afternoon, “When demands for resignation arise from a public movement, we expect that the Chief Justice will understand the level of respect that needs to be accorded to such demands.” The resignation decision was confirmed shortly thereafter. A full court meeting, which was scheduled to be held virtually at 10:30 AM today following the Chief Justice’s instructions, was subsequently canceled. Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement and advisor to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, posted on his Facebook page this morning, demanding the Chief Justice’s unconditional resignation and the cancellation of the full court meeting. On July 4, regarding the quota reform issue, Chief Justice Obydul Hasan commented during an Appellate Division hearing on a High Court verdict, saying, “What is the purpose of this movement? Are you trying to change the High Court’s verdict or the Supreme Court’s verdict through the pressure of the movement?”
