Bangladesh Crisis: While Nobel laureate Muhammad Yusuf took over the reins of the interim government of Bangladesh on Thursday, the troubles for the violence-struck nation are far from over. On Saturday, protesting students stormed the Dhaka High Court campus, demanding the resignation of all the judges of the appellate division, including that of Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan.
Students of various educational institutions poured into the Supreme Court annexe building’s premises with a procession from 11 AM on Saturday. The protesting students, fearing a ‘judicial coup’, demanded that the judges resign by 1 PM on Saturday.
One of the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Students’ Movement Hasnat Abdullah gave the ultimatum on the High Court premises on Saturday. “If the judges of the appellate division, including Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan, do not resign by 1 PM, they will face consequences like Sheikh Hasina’s. We shall gherao [surround] the residences of the Chief Justice and other judges and force them to resign. Fascism will be rooted out with the removal of the partisan judges,” Abdullah was quoted by Bangladeshi Bengali news website Dhaka Times.
The leaders of the Nationalist Lawyers’ Forum also marched to the High Court with the same demand. Another coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Students’ Movement Abdul Hannan Masud announced the siege of the High Court at 9:14 am on Saturday in protest of the Chief Justice calling a full court meeting of the Supreme Court without discussing it with the government.
In a status on Facebook, he said, “Everyone quickly come to the gate of Curzon Hall by 10 o’clock, the High Court will be gheraoed. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who supported fascism and was involved in various misdeeds, called a full court meeting without any discussion with the government. Any kind of conspiracy by defeated powers will not be tolerated. Lawyers have already rallied against it.”
He further said, “We had earlier called upon the Chief Justice to resign. Taking a stand against the students and inciting them will have to suffer dire consequences. Resign the post of Chief Justice unconditionally immediately and stop the full court meeting.”
Newly appointed Youth and Sports Ministry Adviser Asif Mahmud posted on Facebook: “We seek the resignation of 7 judges of appellate division, including that of the Chief Justice appointed by fascist Hasina. This has nothing to do with the District Judge Court. An appeal to all the anti-discrimination student movement not to take a position towards judge court in any district. There is no confusion; our demands and programmes are clear. Just stay around the High Court peacefully.”
