Former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque arrested in Dhaka

Khairul led the appellate bench that scrapped the caretaker government system for elections in 2011

Former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque has been arrested from his home in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi by the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Khairul was arrested from a home in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi on Thursday morning and brought to the DB offices on Minto Road, according to DB Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam.

At least two cases have been filed against the 19th chief justice of Bangladesh. It was not immediately clear which case Khairul was arrested over.

On Aug 27, Supreme Court lawyer Mujahidul Islam Shaheen filed a case against the former chief justice and former Law Commission chairman Khairul at Shahbagh Police Station over allegations of corruption and forgery of verdicts.

Earlier, on Aug 25, another case was filed against Khairul at Fatulla Police Station in Narayanganj. The case was filed by General Secretary of Fatulla Thana BNP and former president of the Narayanganj District Bar Association Abdul Bari Bhuiyan in connection with the verdict declaring the caretaker government system unconstitutional 13 years ago.

In that case, Khairul was accused of changing the verdict to annul the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and forgery.

Khairul served as chief justice from Oct 1, 2010 to May 17, 2011.

On May 10, 2011, an appellate bench led by him annulled the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, rendering the caretaker government system used for elections illegal.

After his retirement, Khairul was appointed as the chairman of the Law Commission for a three-year term on Jul 23, 2013. He was reappointed to the post several times.

He eventually stepped down from the post on Aug 13 after the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5.