Bangladesh chief justice to resign as student protests escalate around Supreme Court

Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan reportedly decided to resign following a protest near the Supreme Court on Saturday.

After word spread that the Chief Justice had called a meeting of the entire court, further demonstrations broke out. Students and attorneys were among the hundreds of protesters who marched in front of the Supreme Court and took over its space. To safeguard the Supreme Court, Army troops were also sent in.

If they did not step down, protesters threatened to assault the homes of the Chief Justice and the judges on the Supreme Court.

The Chief Justice informed the media that he had made the decision to retire in light of the security of the nation's lower court judges as well as the justices of the highest court. He promised to submit his letter of resignation by Saturday night to President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

After word spread that the Chief Justice had called a meeting of the entire court, further demonstrations broke out. Students and attorneys were among the hundreds of protesters who marched in front of the Supreme Court and took over its space. To safeguard the Supreme Court, Army troops were also sent in.

Abdul Muqaddim, a protestor, asserted that the chief justice was plotting to declare the interim administration unconstitutional.

"The fascists are trying to use the Supreme Court and the chief justice to declare the interim government illegal. That's why we came to the Supreme Court premises to force the chief justice to resign," Muqaddim told The Daily Star.

According to Asif Nazrul, the interim government's law adviser, Obaidul Hassan was embroiled in a number of scandals and was purportedly billeted at the homes of prominent Awami League figures when he travelled overseas.

The interim government's adviser to the ministry of sports, Asif Mahmud, also called for the "unconditional resignation of Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan" and the postponement of the court's whole session.

According to the report, the Chief Justice decided to postpone the judges' meeting.

Following a student-led demonstration against a contentious quota system that reserved up to 30% of government positions for the relatives of war veterans from 1971, anarchy descended on the nearby country. The Supreme Court lowered the employment limits to 5% as the demonstrations gained traction.

But after that, the protests subsequently took a different turn, with agitators calling for Hasina to step down. There have been hundreds of injuries and over 500 deaths as a result of the subsequent violence.

Hasina left Bangladesh on Monday after resigning as prime minister. A provisional administration led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus