Obaidul Hassan
Obaidul Hassan | |
|---|---|
ওবায়দুল হাসান | |
| 24th Chief Justice of Bangladesh | |
| In office 26 September 2023 – 10 August 2024 | |
| Appointed by | Mohammed Shahabuddin |
| President | Mohammed Shahabuddin |
| Preceded by | Hasan Foez Siddique |
| Succeeded by | Syed Refaat Ahmed |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 January 1959 Mohanganj, Netrokona, Bangladesh |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Sajjadul Hassan (brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Dhaka |
Obaidul Hassan (born 11 January 1959)[1] is a jurist who briefly served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.[2] He was appointed as the chief justice on 12 September 2023 and served as 24th Chief justice of Bangladesh. He also served as the president of the Inquiry Committee, 2022 for the formation of Bangladesh Election Commission.[3] He was forced to resign as Chief Justice in the aftermath of the Student–People's uprising.[4]
Early life and background
[edit]Obaid was born on 11 January 1959 in Mohanganj Upazila, Netrokona District in the then East Pakistan, Pakistan.[5] Obaid's father was Akhlakul Hossain Ahmed, a member of East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, and his mother was Begum Hosne Ara Hossain.[6][7] His brother, Sajjadul Hassan, is the incumbent Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Netrokona-4 constituency since August 2023 and a former senior secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office and the chairman of the board of directors of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines.[8][9]
Obaid completed his undergraduate and graduate degree in Economics from the University of Dhaka.[10] He completed his law degree from the Dhanmondi Law College .[10]
Career
[edit]In 1986, Obaid started working as a lawyer in the District Court and the High Court in 1988.[10][11]
Obaid started working as an advocate in the Appellate Division of Bangladesh Supreme Court in 2005.[10] In 2009, he was appointed an additional judge of Bangladesh High Court and became a full judge in 2011.[10]
Obaid was appointed to the International Crimes Tribunal-2 on 25 March 2012.[5] He was made the chairperson of the International Crimes Tribunal-2 on 13 December 2012.[10][5]
In 2017, Obaid served as a member of a five-member search committee headed by the then Appellate Division Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain. Later, in 2022, the then president Mohammad Abdul Hamid formed a search committee with Obaid as its chairman.
On 2 September 2020, Obaid was appointed to the Appellate Division of Bangladesh Supreme Court.[10]
On 29 July 2021, Obaid was nominated by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain as the chamber judge of Bangladesh Supreme Court to reduce backlog of cases at the court through virtual heading during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.[12]
In the midst of the Non-cooperation movement (2024) when a huge number of student protesters, who were calling for the resignation of Sheikh Hasina's government, many protesters were shot to death by the police. Many lawyers submitted a plea to the High Court asking for the immediate cease of using lethal weapons by the police or any other law enforcement agencies. The High Court rejected this plea on 4 August 2024, just a day before Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign as Prime Minister and fled to India in the face of mass protests on 5 August.[13][14] Hassan resigned on 10 August 2024, after students protested his calling upon a full court meeting without consulting the Interim Government and surrounded the High Court.[15][16] Hassan's tenure was criticised by chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, who called him a "hangman".[17]
Personal life
[edit]Obaid is married to Nafisa Banu, a member of the board of directors of Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority.[9] They have a son, Ahmed Shafkat Hassan, a barrister with an LLM degree on international law from the Durham University.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Obaidul Hassan new chief justice". The Daily Star. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ "Tariq ul Hakim, Obaidul Hassan sworn in as AD judges". New Age. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Judge Obaidul Hasan made acting Chief Justice". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ "Bangladesh's chief justice resigns after fresh protests at Supreme Co…". 2024-08-23. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23.
- ^ a b c "Tribunal Judges". International Crimes Research Foundation. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Obaidul Hassan (2019-12-17). "Role of Baljit Singh Tyagi and BSF in our Liberation War". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Judges' List : Appellate Division". Supreme Court of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on Dec 13, 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Foyez, Ahammad; Moneruzzaman, M. (5 February 2022). "Justice Obaidul heads EC search committee". New Age. Archived from the original on 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
- ^ a b c "President appoints Obaidul Hassan as new Chief Justice of Bangladesh". BSS. 12 Sep 2023. Archived from the original on Sep 25, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Justice Tariq ul Hakim, Justice Obaidul Hassan elevated to Appellate Division". bdnews24.com. 2 Sep 2020. Archived from the original on Oct 27, 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Hossain, Imran (2020-09-02). "Appellate Division gets 2 new judges". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on Oct 28, 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "Justice Obaidul Hassan nominated Supreme Court chamber judge". The Daily Star. 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ "গুলি না করার রিট খারিজ, আন্দোলন দমনে পুলিশ প্রবিধান অনুসরণ". Dhaka Post (in Bengali). 4 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
- ^ "গুলি না করার নির্দেশনা চেয়ে করা রিট খারিজ". Jamuna Television (in Bengali). 4 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
- ^ "Anti-Discrimination Student Movement calls for High Court siege". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "Bangladesh chief justice agrees to resign amid new student protests". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "Resignations of Bangladeshi officials close to Hasina are legal, interim leader Yunus says". Associated Press. 14 August 2024.