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Published : 26 Mar 2025, 05:54 PM
Bangladesh’s Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has been awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of Oxford's Wadham College.
Justice Refaat previously earned his postgraduate law degree with first-class honours from Wadham College -- one of the most prestigious institutions in the United Kingdom.
In a letter to the chief justice, Robert Hannigan, warden of Wadham College, wrote: "I am writing with great pleasure to let you know that the governing body of Wadham College has resolved to elect you to an honorary fellowship. I do hope you will feel able to accept this honour.
The honorary fellowship is a lifetime recognition. As a fellow, Justice Refaat will have the opportunity to attend various annual events at the college and receive invitations to formal dinners. He will also enjoy access to college facilities. There are no duties or obligations attached to the fellowship.
"Above all, by the grant of this fellowship, the College wishes to express the honour it feels through its association with you, and to recognise your remarkable," the letter added.
Justice Refaat was appointed as the 25th chief justice of Bangladesh in August last year, following the change in power after the July Uprising. At the time, he was the most senior judge in the High Court Division.
An alumnus of Dhaka University, he later went on to study law at Wadham College. After completing his degree there, he earned both a Master’s and PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (administered by Tufts in cooperation with Harvard University).
He began his professional career as a lawyer specialising in the banking sector and also worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as an immigration law expert.
Justice Refaat enrolled as an advocate in the Dhaka District Court in 1984 and in the High Court Division in 1986.
He was appointed as an additional judge of the High Court Division on Apr 27, 2003, and became a permanent judge two years later.
His father, the late Barrister Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, was Bangladesh’s first additional attorney general and later served as attorney general.
His mother, National Professor Dr Sufia Ahmed, was a distinguished academic and teacher in the Department of Islamic Studies at Dhaka University.
