The High Court (HC) has concluded hearings on the bail petition of former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque, who faces charges in four cases, including murder and verdict manipulation.
The court is set to announce its decision on March 8.
A bench comprising Justice Md Khairul Alam and Justice Md Sagir Hossain conducted the hearing on Wednesday.
Former chief justice Khairul Haque had filed the bail petition on 19 October last year, following which the HC issued a rule on 26 October seeking reasons why bail should not be granted. Wednesday’s proceedings addressed that rule.
During the hearing, Khairul Haque’s lawyers, including Munsurul Haque Chowdhury, Sara Hossain, Said Ahmed Raja, and Monayem Nabi Shaheen, argued that the verdict manipulation cases relate to rulings he delivered on caretaker government matters.
They said that since the Appellate Division has already disposed of the review application in the original case, the verdict manipulation cases cannot proceed.
Regarding the murder charge, the defense said Khairul Haque, then serving as chairman of the Law Commission, was under police protection and was not present at the incident site.
Police records reportedly confirm he remained at home on the day of the incident.
The state, represented by Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud Masud, opposed the bail application.
The prosecution argued that Justice Khairul Haque’s verdict in the caretaker government case had triggered widespread unrest and lawlessness in Bangladesh.
They contended that his actions contributed to the establishment of a tyrannical regime and that granting bail could undermine accountability given the serious consequences of the rulings.
Khairul Haque was first arrested on 24 July last year from his Dhanmondi residence and was later implicated in the murder of Jubo Dal activist Abdul Kaiyum Ahad during the July mass uprising in Dhaka’s Jatrabari area.
The four cases against him include a murder case registered with Jatrabari police station; verdict manipulation cases at Shahbagh, Narayanganj’s Bandar, and Fatulla police stations; and an Anti-Corruption Commission case over alleged irregularities in RAJUK land transactions. While bail rules have been issued in five cases, Wednesday’s hearing focused on four of them.
The defense further argued that the verdicts in the caretaker government cases were delivered unanimously by seven Appellate Division judges without coercion, and no objections have been raised by the judges to date. In the murder case, police movement records confirm that Khairul Haque remained at home on the day of the incident.
Khairul Haque was appointed Bangladesh’s 19th Chief Justice on 27 September, 2010, officially assuming office on 30 September, 2010.
He retired on May 17, 2011, and subsequently served three terms as chairman of the Law Commission.
