The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, has concluded the final hearing on allegations of misconduct against Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman, one of five High Court judges currently under investigation by the council.
The hearing on Justice Akhtaruzzaman ended on Tuesday, while the SJC fixed 2 September for the final hearing on another High Court judge, Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar, confirmed Md Shafiqul Islam, public relations officer of the Appellate Division.
The SJC, comprising the chief justice and two senior Appellate Division judges, has been investigating allegations of misconduct or incapacity against the five HC judges since 23 March 2025, following a directive from the President based on information submitted by the council.
As part of the inquiry, Justice Akhtaruzzaman was summoned before the council on 25 June and appeared on 1 July to respond to the allegations.
Justice Akhtaruzzaman and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar are among 12 HC judges barred from judicial duties by the chief justice on 21 October 2024. Of them, five remain under SJC review, while seven others have resigned, retired or been removed.
The three other HC judges still under SJC review are Justice Naima Haider, Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice SM Maniruzzaman.
Among the seven others, Justice Khizir Hayat and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman were removed, Justice Shahed Nuruddin resigned, while Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das retired during inquiry. Justice SM Maud Hossain Dolan and Justice Md Aminul Islam were not confirmed as permanent judges of the High Court.
The SJC regained authority to remove higher court judges after the Appellate Division disposed of a pending review petition on 20 October 2024, reviving the system that had been replaced by the 16th Amendment in 2014.
The three-member council now comprises Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam, and Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury.
Since its revival, the SJC has overseen several departures. On 19 November 2024, the President accepted the resignations of three HC judges—Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury, Justice Kazi Reza-ul Haque and Justice AKM Zahirul Haque—who had submitted letters following the commencement of the council’s activities.
LND/SAE
………………
For 24/7 Breaking News :
📰 English News : www.libertynewsbd.com
📰 বাংলা সংবাদ : bangla.libertynewsbd.com
📰 Facebook : facebook.com/libertynewsbd
📰 Facebook (বাংলা) : facebook.com/libertynewsbangla
📰 X (Twitter) : x.com/libertynewsbd
📰 Instagram : instagram.com/libertynewsbd
📰 YouTube : youtube.com/@LibertyNewsBD
📰 YouTube : youtube.com/@LibertyNewsPlus
