Chief Justice

Chief Justice is the chief amongst the judges of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, and also head of the whole judicial establishments, including subordinate courts. The Chief Justice is appointed by the president. By convention, the senior most judge of the Appellate Division is appointed the Chief Justice. He sits in the Appellate Division with other judges to hear and decide cases. Chief Justice presides over full court meetings to transact business relating to the administration of the Supreme Court, and control discipline of the judges and magistrates of the subordinate courts. Most rules for regulating the practice and procedure of both the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the Supreme Court (including subordinate courts) including those specified in certain legislative Acts, such as the Companies Act 1994 and the Banking Companies Act 1991, are also duly scrutinized and approved in full court meetings presided over by the Chief Justice. He also distributes judicial business of the High Court Division by constituting different benches to exercise its original, appellate and revisional jurisdictions.

Administrative control (including the power of creation of post, promotion and grant of leave) and discipline of the judges and magistrates of the subordinate courts is exercised by the president in consultation with the supreme court and urgent matters relating thereto are dispensed with in consultation with the chief justice. the persons who have held the office of the chief justice since the liberation of the country are (in chronological order): justice abusadat mohammad sayem, justice syed ab mahmud hossain, justice kemaluddin hossain, justice fazle kaderi muhammad abdul munim, justice badrul haider chowdhury, justice shahabuddin ahmed, justice muhammad habibur rahman, justice atm afzal, justice mustafa kamal, justice latifur rahman, justice mahmudul amin chowdhury, justice mainur reza chowdhury, justice km hasan, justice syed jr mudassir hossain, justice md. ruhul amin and justice mm ruhul amin.

It should be mentioned, however, that the Supreme Court of Bangladesh was bifurcated into two separate judicial establishments, namely, the Supreme Court and the high court, under provisions of the Martial Law Second Proclamation Order, 1976 (No. IV of 1976). The incumbent Chief Justice, Syed A.B Mahmud Hussain, continued as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, while Justice Ruhul Islam was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court. Justice Ruhul Islam worked in this capacity till the amalgamation of the two highest courts by the Martial Law Second Proclamation (Tenth Amendment) Order 1977 (Second Proclamation Order No. 1 of 1977). [Kazi Ebadul Hoque]