Ex-Bangladesh Chief Justice Arrested Amid Crackdown On Hasina-Era Officials

Bangladesh police on Thursday arrested the country's former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque.

A team from the Detective Branch (DB) Police picked him up from his Dhanmondi residence around 8:00 am today.

DB joint commissioner Nasirul Islam confirmed the arrest of former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque.

"Yes, we have arrested him," Islam told ANI, over the phone. "There are three cases against him," he added, without elaborating.

Khairul Haque served as the 19th Chief Justice of Bangladesh.

On August 18, Supreme Court lawyer Mujahidul Islam Shaheen filed a case against Khairul at Shahbagh Police Station, accusing him of corruption and altering judicial verdicts, BDNews24 reported.

This followed another case lodged earlier on August 15 at Fatulla Police Station in Narayanganj. The case was filed by Abdul Bari Bhuiyan, the General Secretary of Fatulla Thana BNP and a former president of the Narayanganj District Bar Association, according to BDNews24.

Bhuiyan's complaint relates to the landmark ruling that scrapped the caretaker government system 13 years ago. He accused Khairul of changing the original verdict to annul the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and committing forgery in the process.

Khairul served as Chief Justice of Bangladesh from October 1, 2010, to May 17, 2011. On May 10, 2011, an appellate bench headed by him delivered the controversial judgment that declared the 13th Amendment unconstitutional, effectively ending the caretaker system used to oversee national elections, according to BDNews24.

Bangladesh's interim government has been arresting individuals at various levels, including politicians, economists, top election officials, bureaucrats, and police, who served during ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's regime.

Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a student-led uprising in August last year. After her fall, an interim government was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate.