Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
Bangladesh’s former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque was detained by the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police from his Dhanmondi residence early Thursday morning.
Justice Haque served as the 19th Chief Justice of Bangladesh, holding office from September 30, 2010 to May 17, 2011. His controversial verdict in 2011 on the caretaker government system—which many claim facilitated the consolidation of power by the then Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League—remains one of the most disputed judicial decisions in the country’s history.
Recently, the BNP-backed Nationalist Lawyers’ Forum called for his arrest, branding him “the chief architect of the destruction of the country’s judiciary and democracy.” Following the arrest, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam welcomed the move, describing Haque as “one of Bangladesh’s major enemies who caused serious damage to the nation while holding a high position.”
When asked about the punishment BNP seeks for the former Chief Justice, Islam replied, “It would not be right to comment on that, but there should be an exemplary punishment so that no one can misuse such positions to harm the state again.” He further stressed that the judiciary must be trusted, and Justice Haque destroyed that trust through politically motivated decisions.