The Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque at a Dhanmondi home on Thursday morning.
DB Joint Commissioner Mohammad Nasirul Islam said he had been taken to the DB headquarters on Minto Road, adding that there were multiple cases filed against him.
Further details about his arrest were not immediately available.
ABM Khairul Haque served as the country’s 19th chief justice, taking office in 2010. He retired the following year upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 67.
During his time in the Appellate Division, he delivered the landmark verdict abolishing the caretaker government system.
While serving in the High Court Division, he ruled in the Bangabandhu assassination case and the case concerning the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
He also delivered judgments in several high-profile cases, including river protection around Dhaka and disputes over the proclamation of independence.
In 2013, he was appointed chairman of the Law Commission for a three-year term. He was subsequently reappointed to the post several times.
After the Awami League government was ousted on August 5 last year, he resigned from the commission on August 13.
Notably, in late April this year, the Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Ainjibi Forum (BJAF), a platform of pro-BNP lawyers, demanded the arrest and trial of former ABM Khairul Haque, accusing him of playing a central role in undermining the country’s judiciary and democratic system, reports BSS.
In a written statement, BJAF President Advocate Zainul Abedin claimed that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina had established a fascist regime with direct backing from the judiciary and that democracy could not have been destroyed if the judiciary had fulfilled its constitutional responsibilities.
He labelled Khairul Haque as the key figure behind the deterioration of judicial independence and democratic governance, stating: “Despite being at the centre of such destruction, he has neither been arrested nor prosecuted. Yet, holding him accountable remains a popular demand among the people of Bangladesh.”
