A formal complaint has been filed with the Supreme Judicial Council against senior Appellate Division Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam, alleging misconduct, corruption, and collaboration with authoritarian rule.
The complaint was submitted on Monday to the office of the Registrar General by Anwar Sadat Tutul, joint secretary of the AB Party, and Muhammad Zakir Hossain, a resident of Patuakhali.
Speaking to reporters, Tutul said the complaint was lodged in his capacity as a conscious citizen to restore public trust and confidence in the country’s judicial system. He alleged that Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam had been involved in irregularities, corruption, and unprofessional conduct.
According to the complaint, the allegations include illegal accumulation of wealth, delivering verdicts in exchange for money, issuing unjust rulings to appease the former Awami League government, and acquiring assets inconsistent with known sources of income. It further alleges that during his tenure in the High Court Division, the judge operated syndicates with certain lawyers and expedited hearings through short-rule issuance to deliver favorable verdicts to bribe-givers.
The complaint notes that Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam was elevated to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on December 8, 2022. It alleges that he was appointed on the recommendation of Sheikh Hasina’s security adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique and Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, describing him as ideologically aligned with the Awami League government that ruled after 2018.
The submission also mentions that his father, the late Justice AKM Nurul Islam, served as vice president during the military regime of HM Ershad from 1986 to 1989 and later held the posts of education minister and law minister. It adds that Nurul Islam joined the Awami League in 1996 and unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary election from the Manikganj-2 constituency.
The complaint further alleges that Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam is an active supporter of the Awami League and a collaborator of Sheikh Hasina’s government, accusing him of repeatedly glorifying Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his judgments and delivering rulings that helped prolong authoritarian rule.
