Ex-CJ Khairul sent to jail in verdict forgery case
Staff Reporter :
Former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque has been sent to jail following the completion of a seven-day remand in a high-profile case involving allegations of verdict forgery linked to the annulment of the 13th amendment of the Constitution.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Saifuzzaman issued the order on Wednesday (7 August), after Shahbagh Police Station Inspector Khaleq Mia, the investigation officer, presented the former top judge before the court and requested that he be held in jail pending further investigation.
According to the prosecution, Khairul Haque was intensively interrogated during the remand period, and although critical information was obtained, it remains under verification.
The accused declined to give any confessional statement before the court, and as the inquiry is still ongoing, investigators argued that keeping him in jail was necessary to prevent interference with the investigation. The court granted the petition and ordered his incarceration. Khairul Haque was arrested on 24 July by the Detective Branch from his residence in Dhanmondi. Initially, he was shown arrested in connection with a separate juvenile murder case before being formally remanded in the verdict forgery case.
On 30 July, Dhaka’s Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sanaullah granted the seven-day remand for the former chief justice, following a petition by police.
The central charge relates to allegations that Haque, while serving as Chief Justice, manipulated the lead judgment that annulled the non-partisan caretaker government system in Bangladesh.
The original lawsuit, filed on 18 August 2024 by lawyer Imrul Hasan, accuses Haque of fraud and forgery in the Additional cases were filed in the same context. On 26 August 2024, a case was filed in Narayanganj verdict that ultimately declared the 13th constitutional amendment illegal. accusing Haque of treason and tampering with judicial records.
Another case, filed a day later with Shahbagh Police Station by Supreme Court lawyer Mujahidul Islam Shaheen, alleged that Haque’s verdict was delivered to serve the political interests of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in exchange for post-retirement benefits.
Critics argue that his ruling delivered just a week before his retirement-was instrumental in dismantling the caretaker government system, which had overseen fair elections in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2008.
The judgment faced strong opposition from leading jurists including Dr Kamal Hossain, Barrister Rafique-ul Huq, Barrister M Amir-ul Islam, and former Attorney General Mahmudul Islam.
Even within the Appellate Division, three out of six judges dissented. With a split bench, Khairul Haque cast the tie-breaking vote, decisively ruling the system unconstitutional.
The decision is widely viewed as a turning point in the country’s political landscape, one that helped consolidate power for the ruling Awami League and sparked ongoing controversy regarding electoral legitimacy.
Khairul Haque resigned from his post as chairman of the Law Commission on 13 August 2024 amid growing legal pressure. He had held the position since 2013, with his tenure extended three times.
He began his judicial career as an additional judge of the High Court Division in 1998 and was promoted to permanent judge in 2000.
He was elevated to the Appellate Division in 2009 and appointed Chief Justice in 2010, superseding two senior judges-a move also criticised at the time. His term as Chief Justice was brief, but his final verdict remains one of the most politically consequential in the nation’s recent history.