The High Court has postponed by two months the hearing on former Chief Justice A.B.M. Khairul Haque’s bail and plea to dismiss the case related to the killing of Jubo Dal activist Abdul Kaiyum Ahad during the July–August student movement in Dhaka’s Jatrabari area.
The order was issued on Sunday by a High Court bench comprising Justices Zakir Hossain and K.M. Rasheduzzaman Raja, following a request by Khairul Haque’s lawyers. Senior lawyer Jahangir Hossain appeared on behalf of Khairul Haque, while Attorney General M.A. Asaduzzaman and several other government lawyers represented the state.
The court has scheduled the next hearing one week after the upcoming Supreme Court vacation, which will begin on 7 September and end on 16 October.
The hearing was originally set for 11 August but was adjourned after a scuffle broke out between the lawyers of Khairul Haque and the state, including some pushing and shoving in the courtroom. On that day, senior lawyers including M.K. Rahman, Kamrul Haq Siddiqui, Z.I. Khan Panna, Mohsin Rashid, Motahar Hossain Saju, and Syed Mamun Mahbub appeared for Khairul Haque, while the state lawyers were already present.
The altercation began when Deputy Attorney General Russell Ahmed informed the court that the Attorney General had requested a one-week delay for the hearing. Khairul Haque’s lawyer Mohsin Rashid objected, saying the Deputy AG could not give such instructions in court, which led to the ensuing commotion. The court repeatedly urged both sides to calm down before adjourning the matter to Sunday.
A.B.M. Khairul Haque served as Chief Justice from 1 October 2010 to 17 May 2011. Under his leadership, the Appellate Division delivered a verdict on 10 May 2011 invalidating the 13th amendment to the Constitution, rendering the caretaker government system unconstitutional.
After retirement, he was appointed chairman of the Law Commission on 23 July 2013 for three years, with his tenure later extended multiple times. Following the July student uprising and the resignation of the Awami League government, he stepped down from the Law Commission on 13 August. Subsequently, several cases were filed against him.
On 24 July, nine months after the incidents, Khairul Haque was arrested from his Dhaka residence and sent to court in connection with the Jubo Dal activist’s killing, and later remanded in a separate case in Narayanganj’s Fatulla Police Station for allegedly issuing illegal and forged verdicts.
