Lalmonirhat district Judge Mohammad Ferdous Ahmed has succumbed to Covid-19. He was 58.
Ferdous, who was the judge of Lalmonirhat Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, breathed his last at around 8pm on Wednesday, at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka, where he had been undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit (ICU).
Bangladesh Supreme Court spokesperson Saifur Rahman confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday night.
Ferdous is the first judge in Bangladesh to have died of the pandemic disease.
He got admitted to the CMH on June 14 after testing positive for Covid-19.
His family members said he had gone to Lalmonirhat on June 1 and returned to Dhaka on June 4 after completing his judicial activities.
He was shifted to the ICU following respiratory problems.
He also received plasma therapy as part of his treatment.
Ferdous joined the country's judiciary as an assistant judge in 1984, Supreme Court spokesperson Saifur Rahman said in a statement.
Lalmonirhat court sources and relatives of the senior district judge said Ferdous joined the Lalmonirhat Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal from Bhola district on October 2, 2019 with the rank of Lalmonirhat District and Sessions Judge.
Learning of Judge Ferdous Ahmed's death, Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Law Minister Anisul Huq expressed condolences on Wednesday night.
Bangladesh Judicial Services Association also issued a statement, expressing sorrow at Ferdous' death.
Judge Md. Afaz Uddin of Lalmonirhat senior judicial magistrate's court said, "His death has cast a shadow of mourning on the Lalmonirhat court. He was a prudent and experienced judge. His passing is a great loss for us, which will never be fulfilled.”
Matiar Rahman, former president of the Lalmonirhat District Bar Association and chairman of the district council, said Ferdous Ahmed was an experienced judge of the Women and Child Abuse Suppression Tribunal. His death has cast a shadow of mourning over the district bar association and the judiciary. He offered condolences to the bereaved family members.
Ferdous Ahmed's namaz-e-janaza is scheduled to be held at 11am on Thursday, in Jamalpur township, following which he will be buried there.
Bangladesh has recorded 1,582 deaths due to Covid-19 as of Wednesday, since the first death was reported on March 18.
The total number of confirmed cases stands at 122,660 till Wednesday, since its first detection in the country on March 8.
