Former chief justice Khairul Haque detained in Dhaka

Former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque has been detained by the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

He was taken into custody around 8:30 am today, Thursday, from a residence in the capital’s Dhanmondi area.

The news of his detention was confirmed by DB’s Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam. He told Prothom Alo that the former Chief Justice had been brought to the DB office on Minto Road in Dhaka.

According to Nasirul Islam, Khairul Haque is facing three separate cases—two in Dhaka's Jatrabari area and one in Narayanganj. He will be shown arrested in one of those cases.

Khairul Haque has long been politically criticized for delivering the verdict that abolished the caretaker government system.

A case has been filed against him at Narayanganj’s Fatullah Model police station on charges of issuing a fabricated verdict and sedition.

The case was filed on 25 August last year by Abdul Bari Bhuiyan, former president of the district bar association and general secretary of Fatullah Thana unit of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Additional cases are also pending in Dhaka.

Khairul Haque was appointed as the country’s 19th Chief Justice on 27 September 2010, with the appointment becoming effective from 30 September of the same year. He retired on 17 May 2011.

On 23 July 2013, he was appointed chairman of the Law Commission for a three-year term. After the term ended, he was reappointed multiple times. He resigned from the post on 13 August last year.

While serving in the Appellate Division, Khairul Haque delivered the landmark verdicts declaring the 13th constitutional amendment (caretaker government system) and fatwas illegal.

During his time in the High Court Division, he gave verdicts in the Bangabandhu assassination case and the 5th constitutional amendment case.

He also presided over notable cases involving the protection of Dhaka’s four rivers and disputes concerning the proclamation of independence.