23 new High Court justices sworn in

Twenty-three new justices appointed to the Supreme Court’s High Court Division have been sworn in.

Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed read them their oaths of office at the Supreme Court Judge’s Lounge at 11am.

Supreme Court Registrar General Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan presided over the oath-taking ceremony.

A notice from the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs on Tuesday said they had been appointed under the orders of the president. They will begin work as High Court justices after taking oath of office.

They are appointed to terms of two years.

The newly appointed additional judges are Mohammad Golam Mortuza Majumdar, Syed Enayet Hossain, Md Monsur Alam, Syed Zahed Monsur, KM Rasheduzzaman Raja, Mohammad Jabid Hossain, Mubina Asaf, Kazi Waliul Islam, Ainun Nahar Siddiqa, Md Abdul Mannan, Tamanna Rahman, Md Shafiul Alam Mahmud, Md Hamidur Rahman, Nasrin Akter, Sathika Hossain, Syed Mohammad Tazrul Hossain, Mohammad Toufiq Inam, Yousuf Abdullah Suman, Sheikh Tahsin Ali, Faiz Ahmed, Mohammad Sagir Hossain, Sikder Mahmudur Razi, and Debashish Roy Chowdhury.

Prior to their appointments, there were 78 judges in the High Court Division. Now the number has increased to 101. Along with the chief justice, there are six judges in the Appellate Division.

Three days after Sheikh Hasina resigned her premiership and fled to India on Aug 5, an interim government was formed.

Following the transition in power, then chief justice Obaidul Hasan resigned on Aug 10 in response to the demands of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement which had orchestrated the fall of the Awami League government.

Within a few hours of his resignation, High Court Division Justice Syed Refaat was named chief justice.

Later that night, five more justices from the Appellate Division resigned. Several new appointments were then made to the nation’s top court.