Dhaka chief justice refuses to swear-in two judges

DHAKA - Bangladesh Chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim Sunday administered oath of office to 15 judges, but was understood to have kept out two controversial nominees of the government following protests by opposition-backed lawyers.

“It is understood that the chief justice refused to give the oath to Mohammed Ruhul Kuddus Babu, a former student leader of JSD Chhatra League, student wing of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), and to Deputy Attorney General Muhammad Khasruzzaman,” bdnews.24.com website reported.

“Several newspapers have reported that Babu had an old murder case against him and that his name was only recently struck from the list of the accused and that Khasruzzaman had taken part in vandalism in the Supreme Court area, including kicking at the door of the chief justice’s office,” it added.

The two, who were also appointed as high court judges, did not attend the oath taking ceremony as the chief justice had earlier decided not to administer them oath, Star Online said.

It carried photographs purporting to be of the two in protest action.

President Zillur Rahman appointed all the 17 new judges to the high court April 11 for two years.

A controversy has brewed since.

The chief justice’s action was “unprecedented”, website of the Star said.

The chief justice decided not to administer oaths to the two new high court judges against the backdrop of protest from a section of Supreme Court Bar Association leaders, including its president and secretary.