Former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque has been sent to jail in connection with the murder of Abdul Kaiyum, a case filed with Jatrabari Police Station.
He was produced before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court on Thursday evening around 7:30 PM. According to police and court sources, the former Chief Justice was presented before the court with a petition to show him arrested in the murder case.
Earlier in the day, detectives from Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) detained Haque from a residence in Dhanmondi. He was subsequently taken to the DB office on Minto Road for questioning.
Police sources said Haque is accused in three separate cases filed in Jatrabari and Narayanganj. Thursday’s court appearance and arrest petition pertained specifically to the Jatrabari case involving the death of Abdul Kaiyum.
Justice Khairul Haque was sworn in as the 19th Chief Justice of Bangladesh on 30 September 2010. He retired on 17 May 2011 upon reaching the age limit.
The former chief justice has long been a controversial figure in the legal and political arena. In a recent press conference, the Nationalist Lawyers’ Forum labelled him as the “chief architect behind the destruction of the judiciary and democracy” and demanded his arrest and trial.
Khairul Haque is best known for delivering the verdict that scrapped the 13th constitutional amendment, which abolished the caretaker government system—a decision that triggered widespread political backlash. Allegations have also been raised that he was appointed by bypassing senior judges and that he enjoyed undue privileges under the Awami League government.
He is further accused of using relief funds for personal medical expenses, administering oaths to controversial judges, restricting the High Court’s authority to grant anticipatory bail, and endorsing the eviction of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from her cantonment residence. Accusations of abuse of power also surround his tenure.