Bangladesh’s former Chief Justice A.B.M. Khairul Haque was arrested early Thursday morning from his residence in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area, according to local media reports citing police sources.
“We arrested former Chief Justice A.B.M. Khairul Haque from his Dhanmondi residence shortly after 8 a.m. He has been taken to the Detective Branch (DB) office for further proceedings,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch Joint Commissioner Mohammad Nasirul Islam told Jugantor, a leading Bangladeshi daily.
However, the senior police official refrained from revealing the specific charges or the reasons behind the arrest, stating that more information would be made public once available. “We will share more details as the investigation progresses,” he added.
The arrest comes in the wake of a broader crackdown on individuals perceived to be aligned with the erstwhile Awami League government, raising concerns over the interim regime’s ongoing suppression of political opposition. The developments are being viewed by observers as part of an intensifying campaign by the Muhammad Yunus-led caretaker administration to sideline key figures associated with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Justice Khairul Haque served as the 19th Chief Justice of Bangladesh from September 2010 to May 2011. In 2013, he was appointed Chairman of the Bangladesh Law Commission by the Hasina-led government and was reappointed multiple times. He resigned from the post on August 13 last year, days after the ouster of the Awami League administration.
Calls for his arrest have gained traction in recent months. The Nationalist Lawyers’ Forum, during a recent press conference in Dhaka, accused Justice Khairul of undermining the independence of the judiciary and democratic institutions. They labelled him “the chief architect of the destruction of the country’s judiciary and democracy.”
Following the transition of power, at least two cases were reportedly filed against Justice Khairul at different police stations. One case, filed in August last year by a BNP leader and member of the Narayanganj District Bar Association, pertained to Justice Khairul’s 2011 verdict declaring the caretaker government system unconstitutional—a ruling that significantly reshaped the country’s political landscape.
However, that case was later dismissed by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Dilruba Afroze Tithi, who found no grounds for further legal action at the time.
Political analysts suggest that Justice Khairul’s arrest is part of a broader pattern of politically motivated legal action targeting former officials, including Prime Minister Hasina and her allies. Since Hasina’s ouster in August 2024 following widespread student protests, the interim government has filed multiple cases against members of the previous administration—many of which critics describe as politically driven.
The abrupt removal of Sheikh Hasina and the subsequent arrests have raised serious questions about the trajectory of democracy in Bangladesh, with international observers warning of increasing authoritarian tendencies under the caretaker regime.
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