Bangladesh Chief Justice resigns after massive student protests

The Chief Justice of Bangladesh's top court said on Saturday (August 10) that he has agreed to resign "in principle" after an ultimatum to do so from protesters, broadcaster Jamuna TV reported. 

Obaidul Hassan, who was appointed to helm the Supreme Court last year and is seen as a loyalist to ousted premier Sheikh Hasina, was told to step down by protesters who gathered outside the court in the capital Dhaka.

Hassan decided to resign after a large number of protesters laid siege to the Supreme Court premises and issued an ultimatum to the CJ and other judges of the Appellate Division to step down by 1 pm (local time). Hassan will tender his resignation after consulting President Mohammed Shahabuddin on evening, The Dhaka Tribune reported.

The Daily Star reported that the protesters have threatened that they would besiege judges' residences, if they fail to resign before the deadline. Around 10.30 am, several hundred protesters, including students and lawyers, started gathering on the Supreme Court premises, demanding resignation of the chief justice and the judges of the Appellate Division. There were reports of the situation escalating rapidly, with some of them suggesting that the Chief Justice may have fled the premises.

A full-court meeting called by the Chief Justice without consulting the newly formed interim government acted as the trigger for fresh protests. The protestors alleged that the judges of the court are part of a conspiracy, prompting outrage and demands for accountability

With tension mounting, the scheduled full-court meeting was abruptly called off. Undeterred protesters, however, continued to besiege the Supreme Court, giving the Chief Justice a one-hour ultimatum to step down.

The fresh protests come days after a student-led uprising against government hiring rules resulted in Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus taking charge of a caretaker government.

At least 450 people were killed in more than a month of deadly protests that ended the autocratic rule of 76-year-old prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina faces allegations of murder, forced disappearance, money laundering and corruption, and must face the law, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, a senior member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party said.

Hasina, one of Asia's longest-serving leaders, resigned and fled Bangladesh on August 5 under pressure from millions of protesters who had taken to the streets for weeks to demand she step down.

An interim government was appointed in Bangladesh Thursday, led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus.