Bangladesh Chief Justice resigns as protestors demand restructuring of judiciary

Bangladeshs Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan tendered his resignation on Saturday five days after the fall of Sheikh Hasinas regime amid massive street protestsand students march towards the apex court demanding a revamp of the judiciaryThe 65yearold top judge announced his decision around 1 pm after protesters from the AntiDiscrimination Student Movement gathered at the apex court premisesThe students had issued an ultimatum to him and the judges of the Appellate Division to resign by 1 pmI feel it is necessary to share a special news with you Our chief justice resigned a few minutes back His resignation letter has already reached the law ministry Professor Asif Nazrul who is the countrys law adviser equivalent to the minister of the newlyinstalled interim government said in a Facebook video message on SaturdayNazrul added that the resignation letter would be sent to President Mohammad Shahabuddin without delay for taking necessary measures and he was expecting the process to be completed very soonWe have received only the resignation letter of the chief justice There is no update about resignation of other members of the judiciary Nazrul addedChief Justice Hassan earlier on Saturday said I have made a decision to resign after speaking with Dr Asif NazrulPreviously the full court meeting of the Supreme Court was cancelled as the protestors issued a twohour ultimatum for the resignation of the chief justice and other justices of the apex Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of unitary BangladeshIn the face of the protest Chief Justice Hassan postponed the meeting and later said that he would step downHasnat Abdullah a coordinator of the AntiDiscrimination Student Movement issued the ultimatum at 11 am asking the CJ and other justices to leave their posts by 1 pmBangladesh Army personnel were deployed at the Supreme Court premises as hundreds of protesting students gathered thereAround 1 pm army personnel were stationed in the main building the annex and other areas around the Supreme CourtThey urged the protesters to maintain peace and appealed that they must avoid damaging government propertiesThe ultimatum came when students marched towards the Supreme Court premises demanding the resignation of the chief justice and other judges said to be loyal to Hasinas Awami League and a restructuring of the countrys judiciaryChief Justice Hassan told journalists at the apex court premises that he took the decision considering the safety of the judges of the Supreme Court High Court and the lower courts across the country amid the emerging situation The Daily Star newspaper reportedThere are some formalities for the resignation Completing those I will send my resignation letter to President Mohammed Shahabuddin by this evening he addedAsked whether the other judges of the Supreme Court will also resign the Chief Justice said that it is their decisionFollowing Hasinas ouster as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh 84yearold Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on Thursday as the head of an interim government Meanwhile Hasina resigned and fled to India on Monday following the political turmoil in BangladeshYunus government is expected to announce fresh elections after bringing the lawandorder situation under control following the deadly antigovernment demonstrations against the Hasina government that had led to massive violence which is now abatingWith PTI inputs