Bangladesh gets its first Hindu Chief Justice

Dhaka, Jan 12: Justice SK Sinha was on Monday appointed Chief Justice of Bangladesh to become the first Hindu to hold the highest judicial post in the Muslim-majority country.

President Mohammad Abdul Hamid appointed Sinha, the senior most judge of the apex court, as its Chief Justice who will have a term of a little over three years. He is the first non-Muslim to become the country's top judge.

64-year-old Sinha will take over on January 17 with the present Chief Justice Muzammel Hossain retiring on January 16 on reaching 67, the retirement age for Supreme Court judges in Bangladesh, a Law Ministry statement said.

Sinha is known for a number of landmark judgements including those on the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 5th and 13th amendments to the Constitution. He has also been an appeals judge in the on-going war crimes trials linked to the country's 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

Sinha obtained LLB and enrolled as an advocate of the district court, Sylhet, in 1974 and practiced in that court. He conducted sessions trial cases independently till the end of 1977.

He then enrolled as an advocate of the High Court and the Appellate Division in 1978 and 1990 respectively. Sinha was appointed as judge of the High Court in 1999 and as judge of the Appellate Division in 2009.

The swearing-in of Justice Sinha would take place on January 17 at the Bangabhaban presidential palace. Unitary Bangladesh's Supreme Court comprises two divisions –- the Appellate Division and the High Court division.

PTI