Chief Justice of Bangladesh, Obaidul Hassan, is reportedly set to resign following intense pressure from hundreds of protesters who besieged the Supreme Court premises in Dhaka on Saturday. The demonstrators issued an ultimatum to the Chief Justice and other judges of the Appellate Division, demanding their resignation by 1 pm local time.According to a report from The Dhaka Tribune, Chief Justice Hassan is expected to submit his resignation after consulting with President Mohammed Shahabuddin later in the evening. The decision to step down was announced by the Chief Justice around midday, shortly after the protesters gathered at the court premises.#BreakingNews‌ : The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement has issued an ultimatum for Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan and the other justices of the Appellate Division to resign by 1 PM. pic.twitter.com/Z3DsbVXalU— Rokonuzzaman Rony (@R_Rokonuzzaman) August 10, 2024The protesters, who included students and lawyers, began assembling at the Supreme Court around 10:30 am, calling for the immediate resignation of the Chief Justice and the Appellate Division judges. The situation escalated with threats from the protesters to besiege the residences of the judges if they did not resign before the given deadline.In the early hours of Saturday, Asif Mahmud, an adviser to the Youth and Sports Ministry of the Interim Government, took to Facebook to demand the unconditional resignation of Chief Justice Hassan and to halt the full court meeting that was scheduled to take place. Amid the mounting pressure, Chief Justice Hassan postponed the full court meeting, which was intended to decide whether the courts functions would continue virtually.Obaidul Hassan – A loyalist to Sheikh HasinaObaidul Hassan, who was appointed as Chief Justice last year, has been viewed as a loyalist to the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The resignation comes in the wake of widespread protests against the Hasina government, which has been accused of severe human rights violations, including the extrajudicial killings of thousands of political opponents. Sheikh Hasina, 76, reportedly fled to neighboring India by helicopter on Monday as the protests reached a fever pitch, marking a dramatic end to her long and controversial rule.
