Five Appellate Division Judges Resign Amid Protests

In a significant development at the Supreme Court, five judges of the Appellate Division have resigned, submitting their letters of resignation to the Law Ministry on Saturday evening. The judges who resigned are Justice M Inayetur Rahim, Justice Abu Zafar Siddiqui, Justice Jahangir Hossain, Justice Md. Shahinur Islam, and Justice Kashefa Hossain.

The resignations follow the earlier departure of Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan, who stepped down earlier in the day. In his resignation letter, Chief Justice Hasan cited the need to protect the Supreme Court building, court records, and judges from physical harassment as his primary reasons for resigning. He stated, "I have decided to resign for the sake of protecting the court premises, the judges' houses, protecting the judges' tower, and protecting the district judge's courts."

The resignation of the Chief Justice and the subsequent departures of the five Appellate Division judges were precipitated by escalating protests. On Saturday morning, Hasnat Abdullah, a coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, announced a siege of the Supreme Court, demanding the resignation of the Chief Justice and other officials. The protest saw a large turnout of students who gathered at the Supreme Court premises, chanting slogans and intensifying pressure on the judiciary.

Sources within the Ministry of Law confirmed the resignations, marking a dramatic turn of events in the ongoing political and judicial turmoil. The resignations reflect the growing tensions and the impact of the student-led movement on the country's judicial system.