Bangladesh crisis: Why Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan was forced to resign amid student protests?

Bangladesh’s former Chief Justice, Obaidul Hasan, resigned on Saturday after facing intense pressure from student protests. These demonstrations were led by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. The protests began at the Supreme Court premises in Dhaka and spread to Chittagong city’s court premises. Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, the coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and an advisor to the Bangladesh Youth and Sports Ministry, called for Hasan’s resignation in a social media post on Saturday morning.

Bhuiyan’s post was made shortly after Hasan summoned a full court meeting, requiring judges from both divisions of the Bangladesh Supreme Court to attend. Bhuiyan accused Hasan of supporting fascism and engaging in misconduct, urging him to resign immediately. Bhuiyan warned that any attempt to resist the students’ demands would lead to severe consequences.

Following these protests and warnings, Hasan, along with five other appellate judges, including M Enayetur Rahim, Abu Zafar Siddiqui, Jahangir Hossain, Md. Shahinur Islam, and Kashefa Hossain, resigned. 

Hasan stated that his resignation was necessary to protect the judiciary, as there had been threats against the Supreme Court, its justices, and workers, including reports of looting at judges' homes.

The protests were sparked by a controversial court ruling on job quotas for the children of freedom fighters from Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war, which led to widespread discontent and demands for a complete abolition of the reserved jobs.