Chief Justice Sinha's wife also leaves Dhaka

Sushma Sinha, the wife of Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, has also left Dhaka for Australia.

She boarded a Singapore Airlines plane at 11:55pm Tuesday at Shahjalal International Airport, Chief Justice's Protocol Officer Abdul Wares told bdnews24.com.   

Sushma leaves four days after her husband, under fire for his verdict cancelling the 16th amendment, left the country to spend his one-month leave from office abroad.

She was carrying two bags, said Wares. She was expected to leave with him on Friday, but stayed back. The Sinhas will be staying with their daughter Suchana Sinha in Australia.

Chief Justice Sinha's decision to go on leave was announced by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam a day before the Supreme Court was set to reopen after vacation.

Amid raging speculations, a court official said the chief justice and his wife have got a three-year visa for Australia and will be headed there "very soon".

Justice MA Wahhab Miah has been carrying out his duties as acting chief justice.

A day after Sinha's departure, the Supreme Court, in a rare move, released a statement with damning allegations of corruption against the chief justice.

Attorney General Alam said it is unlikely that the chief justice, who has a few months left before the end of his term in January, will return to resume office.