President Mohammed Shahabuddin has accepted the resignation of High Court Justice Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, who had earlier been placed on leave over allegations of irregularities.
Supreme Court Public Relations Officer Md Shafiqul Islam confirmed the matter on Friday, saying Justice Akhtaruzzaman had submitted his resignation on August 31, which was accepted by the president on September 7.
Justice Akhtaruzzaman had been summoned by the Supreme Judicial Council to explain the allegations after being placed on leave. He appeared before the Council on July 1 to provide his explanation. Later, on August 31, he submitted his resignation to Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, who forwarded it to the president.
On March 23, the president had ordered a full investigation into the allegations against him.
Earlier, on October 16, 2024, Chief Justice Refaat Ahmed placed 12 High Court judges, including Akhtaruzzaman, on leave following allegations of corruption and of working as associates of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. They were also barred from being assigned to benches for judicial duties.
The judges were: Justice Naima Haider, Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif, Justice Ashish Ranjan Das, Justice Mohammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar, Justice S M Moniruzzaman, Justice Ataur Rahman Khan, Justice Shahed Nuruddin, Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman, Justice Md Aminul Islam, Justice S M Masud Hossain Dolon, Justice Khizir Hayat, and Justice Khondkar Diliruzzaman.
Following those allegations, the Supreme Judicial Council, headed by Chief Justice Refaat Ahmed, initiated an investigation against the twelve judges, summoning Justice Akhtaruzzaman as part of the process.