Chief Justice decides to step down amid protest

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan has decided to step down from his post as the head of the judiciary body of Bangladesh in the face of protests by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

He will tender his resignation after consulting President Mohammed Shahabuddin in the evening.

The chief justice revealed the decision around 1pm on Saturday after protesters gathered at the High Court premises.

Earlier, Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan called for a full court meeting with all justices from both divisions of the Supreme Court.

Protesting students viewed the convening of the full court meeting as a judiciary coup and announced a siege of the High Court premises. 

Hasnat Abdullah, one of the coordinators of the student movement, issued an ultimatum demanding the resignation of the chief justice and the justices of the Appellate Division.

In the face of student protest, Chief Justice Obaidul postponed the meeting and later said that he would step down.

Meanwhile, Law Adviser Prof Asif Nazrul said that the chief justice should determine his fate to protect the dignity of the judiciary. 

He also said that the chief justice should respect the demands of the student people.

Referring to the complaints of the protest leaders, Asif Nazrul said: "I have seen the students' complaints. The way the chief justice had called the full court meeting seemed like a move in favour of the defeated autocratic forces. Before I comment on this, I want to say a few words, our chief justice is a very respectable person. However, there were questions about him, especially during this movement. He had questioned whether a verdict can be changed by protest. This was not well received by people."

He said that when Obaidul Hassan went abroad, he stayed at the residences of various Awami League leaders. There were multiple controversies about him. 

He said: "Especially during this student movement, he commented on what all the protest was about. The reaction was not good. Students had demanded his resignation. That demand has risen again today (Saturday)."

Describing it as an "unfortunate incident," the law professor said: "Such unfortunate incidents should not happen. We believe the Supreme Court is our biggest institution for protecting the Constitution and human rights. No one should do anything that positions the Supreme Court against the mass movement of the students."

Meanwhile, members of Bangladesh Army have been deployed at the Supreme Court premises as hundreds of protesting students gathered. 

Around 1pm, it was seen army personnel were stationed in the main building, annex building, and other areas around the Supreme Court.

They urged the protesters to maintain a peaceful stance and called on them to avoid wasting government resources.