SK Sinha sworn in as 21st chief justice

Surendra Kumar Sinha was sworn in as the nation's 21st chief justice on Saturday. President Abdul Hamid administered the oath to the new chief justice, known as SK Sinha, at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 11:05am.

Justice SK Sinha replaced Justice Md Muzammel Hossain, who retired on January 16. Cabinet Secretary M Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan conducted the oath taking ceremony.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker of Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, immediate past Chief Justice M Muzammel Hossain, former chief justices, cabinet members, Opposition Leader Raushan Ershad, advisers to the Prime Minister, state ministers, Supreme Court judges, attorney general, senior lawyers, chief election commissioner, chiefs of the three services, among others, were present in the oath taking ceremony.

Sinha will be in the office until January 31, 2018. President Abdul Hamid appointed SK Sinha as the country's 21st chief justice on January 12.

Son of late Lalit Mohan Sinha and Dhanabati Sinha, SK Sinha was born at Ranirbazar village of Kamalganj upazila in Moulvibazar district on February 1, 1951. He was appointed as an additional High Court judge on November 24, 1999. His service was confirmed on October 24, 2001.

Justice SK Sinha was elevated to the Appellate Division on July 16, 2009. Justice SK Sinha enrolled in the Sylhet District Bar Association as a lawyer in 1974 and practiced in that district court under the guidance of two reputed civil and criminal lawyers. Then he enrolled in the High Court and the Appellate Division in 1978 and 1990 respectively.

During this period, he worked with eminent lawyer SR Pal as his junior till the date of his elevation to the bench in 1999. He participated in the 3rd International Conference of the Chief Justices of the World as a representative of the Chief Justice of Bangladesh held in Lucknow, India in 2002.

He also participated in the judicial training programme for the senior judges of Bangladesh held in Seoul of Korea in 2006 and judicial development programme in Korea in 2010.