Bangladesh indefinitely suspends Supreme Court proceedings amid power vacuum

The decision follows discussions with the president amid security concerns as the country plunges into a power vacuum

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan has suspended all judicial activities of the Supreme Court's Appellate and High Court divisions until further notice after discussions with the president amid a power vacuum that has created security concerns.

The suspension was confirmed by Md Shafiqul Islam, a spokesman for the SC administration, in a press release on Wednesday night.

“Following discussions with the president, the chief justice of Bangladesh has suspended the sessions (judicial activities) of both divisions of the Supreme Court until further notice,” the statement said.

Earlier, the High Court's proceedings were scheduled to resume in a limited capacity on Thursday. However, this plan has been scrapped as per the latest announcement.

Despite the suspension, Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam will handle urgent matters related to Appellate Division cases either in person or virtually, as required.