People from all walks of life crowded the central Shaheed Minar premises on Monday to pay their last respect at the coffin of Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman.
The coffin of Habibur Rahman, the former chief justice who died on Saturday, was conducted at Shaheed Minar premises around 11:30am.
Several political parties paid their respects, including Awami League and left-leaning organisations. However, BNP members were notab;y absent.
The first Namaz-e-Janaza of the late judge is expected to be held at the Supreme Court premises after 1pm.
He is expected to be buried at Banani graveyard after the second Janaza at Gulshan's Azad Mosque after Asar prayers.
Justice Habibur retired from his position as chief justice in 1995 and served as the first chief adviser to the constitutionally-established caretaker government from March 31 to June 23, 1996. In 1994, he delivered a verdict in favour of Ghulam Azam that restored citizenship for the former Jamaat-e-Islami chief.
Born in 1930 in Murshidabad of the undivided Indian subcontinent (now West Bengal), he completed his higher secondary education from Kolkata Presidency College. Later, he moved to Rajshahi with his family.
After completing BA honours from Rajshahi College, he took admission in Dhaka University and completed honours (1949) and masters (1951) in history. He also obtained LLB from the DU.
During that time, he had been the vice-president of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall Students’ Council in 1951 and played a key role in the 1952 Language Movement. He was also arrested on February 21, 1952 along with many others from a procession that was brought out defying the section 144 imposed by the Pakistani ruler.
Justice Habibur began his career as a temporary lecturer at the DU history department on May 1, 1952. However, he had to step down four days later to participate in the Language Movement. He also taught history at Sirajganj College, Jagannath University (formerly Jagannath College) and Rajshahi University.
He also completed honours in modern history in 1958 and masters at Oxford University in 1962.
Justice Habibur changed his profession in 1964, when he took up law and joined the Dhaka High Court Bar. He held the offices of assistant advocate general in 1969, vice-president of the High Court Bar Association in 1972 and member of Bangladesh Bar Council the same year.
He served as a judge of the High Court Division from 1976 to 1985, Appellate Division of the Supreme Court during 1985-1995, acting chief justice 1990-1991 and as chief justice of Bangladesh in 1995.