Former chief justice named chairman of law panel

By Mizan Rahman/Dhaka

The government has appointed former chief justice Khairul Haque as the chairman of the Law Commission of Bangladesh for three years, an official announcement said yesterday.

During his charge, Justice Haque will get salary, allowance and other benefits equivalent to the chief justice of Bangladesh.

Haque headed the appellate division panel, which scrapped the 13th amendment to the constitution, thus abolishing the poll-time caretaker government system.

“It’s a reward by Hasina to Khairul Haque,” said Rafiqul Islam, a senior member of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The BNP and other opposition parties have not only urged Hasina to restore the caretaker system, but also warned that such a partisan election will not be allowed to be held in Bangladesh.

The Law Commission scrutinises all laws before they are passed by parliament.

Haque served as the chief justice from September 30, 2010 to May 17, 2011.

Born on May 19, 1944 in Madaripur district, he obtained bachelor of law from Dhaka University and did his bar at law from Lincoln’s Inn, London.

He enrolled at the high court in 1976, six years after starting his legal career with the district court.

The lawyer also taught law at the Dhaka University as a part-time teacher from 1978 to 1987.

He was appointed an additional judge of the high court in 1998 and promoted to a full judge two years later.

Justice Haque was appointed to the appellate division in 2009. During his career, he issued verdicts on several important cases including the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib murder case and the one that led to the repeal of the 13th  amendment to the constitution that scrapped the caretaker system.