President administers oath to new Chief Justice

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: President Mohammed Shahabuddin today administered the oath of office to Obaidul Hassan as the 24th Chief Justice of Bangladesh.

The Head of the State administered the oath at a brief ceremony at the Durbar Hall of the Presidential palace at 11am.

Cabinet Secretary Md. Mahbub Hossain conducted the oath taking ceremony.

Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, President’s wife Dr. Rebecca Sultana, cabinet members, advisors, deputy leader of the House, former chief justices, judges of both Appellate and High Court Divisions, whips of the Parliament, chiefs of the three services, attorney general, editors and senior journalists, Supreme Court lawyers and Supreme Court Bar Association leaders were present.

Earlier on September 12, the President under Article 95 (1) of the Constitution appointed Supreme Court’s Appellate Division judge Obaidul Hassan as the Chief Justice of Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the tenure of 23rd Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique ended on September 25 as he went on retirement on the day, an official source told BSS.

A lawyer by background Obaidul Hassan was appointed as an additional judge of the Supreme Court’s High Court Division in 2009 while his appointment was confirmed as a permanent judge in 2011.

He was elevated as a judge in the apex Appellate Division on September 3, 2020.

Son of Dr Akhlaqul Hossain Ahmed and Begum Hosne Ara Hossain, Justice Obaidul Hassan was born on January 1 in a respected family at Chayashi village of Mohongonj upazila in Netrokona in 1959.

His father Dr Akhlaqul Hossain Ahmed was one of 1971 Liberation War organisers, who took part as well in formulating independent Bangladesh’s first Constitution being a member of the erstwhile Pakistan’s central Constituent Assembly.

Hassan was appointed as the chairman of International Crimes Tribunal-2 on March 25, 2012 and in his capacity as the head of that court, popularly known as war crimes tribunal, until September 15, 2015, he pronounced 11 verdicts.

Obaidul Hassan is married to Nafisa Banu, who currently serves as Member (Finance) of Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority Board of Directors.

The couple was blessed with a son, Barrister Ahmed Shafkat Hassan, who obtained his LLM degree on International Law from the University of Durham in the UK.

Obaidul Hassan initially obtained his graduation and post graduation degree in Economics from Dhaka University ahead of studying law and made his debut as a practitioner in the Dhaka District Court in 1986 and got his enrolment in the High Court in 1988.

He authored several books including ‘Obornonio Nirmomotar Chittro: Ekatturer Buddhijibi Hotyakando O Onnanya’ and ‘Bangabandhu Bangladesh: Ekjon Juddho Shishur Golpo O Onnanya’ and ‘Bangabandhu, Rabindranath O Oshamprodayeek Bangladesh’. (BSS)