DHAKA: Police in Bangladesh arrested former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque on Thursday in connection with a murder case linked to last year’s student uprising.
The 81-year-old was sent to jail after a court hearing in Dhaka.
Police officer Nasir Islam confirmed the arrest, stating, “Haque is facing several other cases, but he was shown arrested for his alleged involvement in a murder” during the protests that led to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster.
The case was filed by Ala Uddin, a leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), accusing Haque, Hasina, and 465 others of killing his son during the unrest.
Witnesses reported that Haque remained silent as the judge ordered his detention in a packed courtroom.
Haque served as chief justice for eight months starting in late 2010 and later chaired the Law Commission under Hasina’s government.
His 2011 ruling to abolish the “caretaker government” system—a mechanism ensuring neutral elections—drew criticism for allegedly favoring Hasina’s prolonged rule.
Haque also issued controversial verdicts, including in the murder case of Bangladesh’s founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stated, “We hope exemplary punishment will be ensured so that the judiciary can never be weaponised against the state.”
Supreme Court Bar Association president Mahbub Uddin Khokon accused Haque of enabling “a reign of terror” under Hasina’s Awami League. – AFP
