Bangladesh Supreme Court

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Supreme Court of Bangladesh
বাংলাদেশ সুপ্রীম কোর্ট
Supreme Court of Bangladesh Logo
Flag of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Interactive map of Supreme Court of Bangladesh
23°43′51″N 90°24′09″E / 23.7308°N 90.4025°E / 23.7308; 90.4025
LocationShahbag, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Coordinates23°43′51″N 90°24′09″E / 23.7308°N 90.4025°E / 23.7308; 90.4025
Authorised byConstitution of Bangladesh
Judge term lengthMandatory retirement at 67 years of age.
Number of positions6 in Appellate Division
95 in High Court Division
Annual budget৳282 crore (US$23 million) (2024-2025)
Websitesupremecourt.gov.bd
Chief Justice of Bangladesh
CurrentlyZubayer Rahman Chowdhury
Since28 December 2025
Supreme Court of Bangladesh in Dhaka

Supreme Court of Bangladesh (SCB)[a] is the highest court of law in the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It is composed of the High Court Division and the Appellate Division, and was established by Part VI, Chapter I (Article 94) of the Constitution of Bangladesh, adopted in 1972.[1] This is also the office of the chief justice, Appellate Division judges, and High Court Division judges of Bangladesh. As of February 2026, the Appellate Division consists of 6 judges, while the High Court Division has 103 judges (77 are permanent and 26 are additional).[2]

Structure

The Supreme Court of Bangladesh is divided into two parts: the Appellate Division and the High Court Division. The High Court Division hears appeals against decisions of the lower courts and tribunals; it also has original jurisdiction in certain limited cases, such as writ jurisdiction under Article 102 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, and company and admiralty matters. The Appellate Division has jurisdiction to hear appeals against decisions of the High Court Division under Article 103 of the Constitution of Bangladesh.[3][4] The Supreme Court is independent of the executive branch, and is theoretically able to rule against the government in politically controversial cases.[5]

The chief justice of Bangladesh is appointed by the president, while other judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president following mandatory consultation with the chief justice.[6] The entry point to the seat of judges in the High Court Division is the post of additional judge who are appointed from among the practising advocates of the Supreme Court Bar Association and from the judicial service under the provision of Article 98 of the constitution for a period of two years. The current ratio of such appointment is 80%–20% (80% from the advocates of the Supreme Court and 20% from the judges of district courts). Upon successful completion of this period and upon recommendation by the chief justice an Additional Judge is appointed permanently by the president of Bangladesh under the provision of Article 95 of the Constitution. The judges of the Appellate Division are also appointed by the president of Bangladesh under the same provision. All such appointments come into effect on and from the date of taking oath by the appointee under the provision of Article 148 of the constitution.[6]

A judge of the Bangladesh Supreme Court serves until the age of 67, as extended by Article 95 of the Constitution through the (Thirteenth) Amendment Act, 2004 (Act 14 of 2004).[1] A retiring judge faces disability in pleading or acting before any court or authority or holding any office of profit in the service of the republic, not being a judicial or quasi-judicial office or the office of the chief adviser or adviser.[6]

A Supreme Court judge is not removable from office except in accordance with the provision of Article 96 of the Constitution which provides for the Supreme Judicial Council empowering it to remove a judge of the Supreme Court from office upon allowing the delinquent judge an opportunity of being heard. The supreme judicial council is constituted with the chief justice of Bangladesh and next two senior judges of the Appellate Division, provided if at any time the Council inquiring into the capacity or conduct of a judge who is a member of the supreme judicial council, or a member of the council is absent or is unable to act due to illness or other cause, the judge who is the next in seniority to those who are members of the council shall act as such member.[6]

Supreme court judges are independent in their judicial function as empowered through article 94(4) of the Constitution.[6]

Judgments

As per Article 111 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, 1972, the Supreme Court judgments have binding effects and the article provides that the law declared by the Appellate Division shall be binding on the High Court Division and the law declared by either division of the Supreme Court shall be binding on all courts subordinate to it.

These judgements are usually summarised in the Bangladesh Supreme Court Digest. There are also many law reports which publish the judgments and orders of the Supreme Court. All these law reports are in printed volumes. The Chancery Law Chronicles offers the online service of judgments of Supreme Court of Bangladesh.

Language

Although Bengali is the only state language of Bangladesh in accordance with the article 3 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, the verdicts given by the judges at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh are frequently in English following the colonial tradition of the British rule, violating the Bengali Language Implementation Act, 1987.[7][8][9][10] Sheikh Hasina, the immediate past prime minister of Bangladesh, suggested that the judges should deliver their verdicts in Bengali so that every Bangladeshi can read them, and, later on if need be, the verdicts could be translated into English.[11] Muhammad Habibur Rahman, a former chief justice of Bangladesh, stated that if justice is a virtue and a service to the people, then verdicts should be given in Bengali.[12] He also stated that if the people of the country want that all works in the Supreme Court must be operated in Bengali, then the representatives of the people in the Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament of Bangladesh) must enact and implement law to ensure the use of Bengali in the Supreme Court.[12]

Justices

Sitting justices of the Appellate Division

Name Date appointed in Appellate Division Date appointed in High Court Division as additional judge Mandatory retirement Appointing President at High Court Division Prime minister at time of appointment in High Court Division Judicial position before appointment as a justice Law school
Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury[13] 13 August 2024 27 August 2003 17 May 2028 Iajuddin Ahmed Khaleda Zia (BNP) Advocate at Supreme Court Dhaka University
Justice S. M. Emdadul Hoque 13 August 2024 27 August 2003 6 November 2030 Iajuddin Ahmed Khaleda Zia (BNP) Advocate at Supreme Court Dhaka University
Madame Justice Farah Mahbub 25 March 2025 23 August 2004 28 May 2033 Iajuddin Ahmed Khaleda Zia (BNP) Advocate at Supreme Court Dhaka University

Sitting permanent judges of the High Court Division


  1. Justice Md. Nazrul Islam Talukder
  2. Justice Md. Ashraful Kamal
  3. Justice K. M. Kamrul Kader[14][15]
  4. Justice Md. Mozibur Rahman Miah
  5. Justice Mostofa Zaman Islam
  6. Justice Mohammad Ullah
  7. Justice Abu Taher Mohammad Saifur Rahman
  8. Justice Md. Badruzzaman[16][17]
  9. Justice Zafar Ahmed
  10. Justice Kazi Md. Ejarul Haque Akondo
  11. Justice Khizir Ahmed Choudhury[18][19]
  12. Justice Razik-Al-Jalil
  13. Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty
  14. Justice Md. Iqbal Kabir
  15. Justice Md. Salim
  16. Justice Md. Shohrowardi[20][21]
  17. Madam Justice Fatema Najib
  18. Justice Md. Kamrul Hossain Molla
  19. Justice S. M. Kuddus Zaman
  20. Justice Md Atoar Rahman
  21. Justice Shashanka Shekhar Sarkar
  22. Justice Mohammad Ali
  23. Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim
  24. Justice Md. Riaz Uddin Khan
  25. Justice Md Khairul Alam
  26. Justice S. M. Moniruzzaman
  27. Justice Ahmed Sohel
  28. Justice Sardar Mohammad Rashed Jahangir
  29. Justice K. M. Hafizul Alam[22]
  30. Justice Md Zakir Hossain
  31. Justice Md Mahmud Hasan Talukder
  32. Justice Kazi Ebadoth Hossain
  33. Justice K. M. Zahid Sarwar
  34. Justice A. K. M. Zahirul Huq
  35. Madam Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque
  36. Justice Mohammad Showkat Ali Chowdhury[23][24]
  37. Justice Biswajit Debnath
  38. Justice Md. Atabullah
  39. Justice Md. Ali Reza
  40. Justice Md. Bazlur Rahman
  41. Justice K. M. Emrul Kayesh
  42. Justice Fahmida Quader
  43. Justice Md. Bashir Ullah
  44. Justice A. K. M. Rabiul Hassan
  45. Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Mozumder
  46. Justice Md. Mansur Alam
  47. Justice Sayed Jahed Mansur
  48. Justice K. M. Rasheduzzaman Raja
  49. Justice Md. Jabid Hossain
  50. Madam Justice Mubina Asaf
  51. Justice Kazi Waliul Islam
  52. Madam Justice Aynun Nahar Siddiqua
  53. Justice Md. Abdul Mannan
  54. Madam Justice Tamanna Rahman
  55. Justice Md. Shofiul Alam Mahmood
  56. Justice Md. Hamidur Rahman
  57. Madam Justice Nasreen Akter
  58. Madam Justice Shathika Hossain
  59. Justice Syed Mohammed Tazrul Hossain
  60. Justice Md. Toufiq Inam
  61. Justice Yousuf Abdullah Suman
  62. Justice Sk. Tahsin Ali
  63. Justice Foyej Ahmed
  64. Justice Md. Sagir Hossain
  65. Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi
  66. Justice Syed Enayet Hossain
  67. Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury
  68. Justice Anwarul Islam (Shahin)
  69. Justice Saiful Islam
  70. Justice Nurul Islam
  71. Justice Sheikh Abu Taher
  72. Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan
  73. Justice Rajiuddin Ahmed
  74. Justice Faisal Hasan Arif
  75. Justice SM Saiful Islam
  76. Justice Md Ashif Hasan
  77. Justice Md Ziaul Haque
  78. Justice Dihider Masum Kabir[25][26]
  79. Madam Justice Jasmine Ara Begum
  80. Justice Murad-e-Mawla Sohel
  81. Justice Md Zakir Hossain
  82. Justice Md Rafizul Islam
  83. Justice Md Manjur Alam
  84. Justice Md Lutfar Rahman
  85. Justice Rezaul Karim
  86. Madam Justice Fatema Anwar
  87. Justice Mahmud Hasan
  88. Justice Abdur Rahman
  89. Justice Syed Hasan Zubair
  90. Justice AFM Saiful Karim
  91. Madam Justice Urmi Rahman
  92. Justice SM Iftekhar Uddin Mahmud

Controversy

In 2004, Justice Syed Shahidur Rahman was terminated by President Iajuddin Ahmed on corruption allegation.[27]

Former chief justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim withheld the oath taking of Justice Md. Ruhul Quddus (Babu) as he was involved in the murder of Aaslam, a pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh student of Rajshahi University, on 17 November 1988, when he was a leader of Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), and Justice Mohammad Khosruzzaman was overtly involved in contempt of court on 30 November 2006.[28]

Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman, an appellate division judge, first ever among these judges, resigned on 12 May 2011 due to supersession, as he was presumed to be the chief justice of Bangladesh on 18 May 2011.[29]

Justice Mohammad Nizamul Huq resigned from the post of International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 chairman on 11 December 2012 amid controversy for holding Skype conversations with an expatriate Bangladeshi legal expert based in Belgium.[30]

The president of Bangladesh ordered the formation of a Supreme Judicial Council to investigate alleged misconduct of High Court justice Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan after he distributed copies of a 17 February The Daily Inqilab report, termed slain (on 15 February 2013) 2013 Shahbag protests activist and blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was a moortad (heretic), among the justices of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.[31]

Justice A B M Altaf Hossain was not confirmed as a permanent justice on 12 June 2014 despite recommendation from the chief justice of Bangladesh. So he has served legal notices to the top bureaucrats of Bangladesh government to reinstate him within 72 hours.[32]

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha resigned on 11 November 2017 from Singapore while on a leave, and transiting from Australia to Canada.[33] Later on former chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in jail for money laundering and criminal breach of trust.[34]

Former justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, a judge of the appellate Division of Supreme Court of Bangladesh gained notoriety for number of controversies.In 2003, he accused traffic police officers of contempt of court for not saluting his car while it was passing. The then inspector general of police of the Bangladesh Police, Shahudul Haque, issued a rejoinder that said traffic police are under no obligations to salute anyone and they could do so if it was safe. The High Court Division bench of Justice M A Matin and Justice Syed Refat Ahmed issued a contempt of court charge against Haque which automatically removed him from the post of Inspector General according to the law. The government of Bangladesh secured a presidential pardon that protected Haque's job.[35][36] He was also criticised for his vitriolic attack on various politicians including Speaker and members of the Parliament.[37]

Furthermore, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has repeatedly faced criticism for legitimizing authoritarian rule through its treatment of martial law regimes and military tribunals. The Constitution’s Fifth and Seventh Amendments, which the court initially allowed to stand for years, retroactively validated military takeovers, suspended constitutional safeguards, and insulated martial-law authorities from judicial review. Special Martial Law Tribunals operated with severe due-process deficiencies — including closed-door proceedings, restrictions on appeals, and military officers presiding over civilian trials. Later rulings by the court itself acknowledged that these arrangements violated the rule of law, judicial independence, and constitutional supremacy, effectively conceding that the judiciary had long assented to systems enabling political persecution and executive overreach.[38]

During the 2007–2008 military-backed caretaker government in Bangladesh, the judiciary — including the Supreme Court of Bangladesh — was widely criticized for failing to act as an effective check on executive and military authority despite the regime’s nominally civilian character. Courts largely acquiesced to emergency regulations that suspended fundamental rights, expanded detention without trial, curtailed political activity, and enabled sweeping anti-corruption prosecutions widely viewed as politically selective. Human Rights Watch documented widespread arbitrary arrests, emergency-rule detentions, weakened judicial independence, and special tribunals that failed to meet international fair-trial standards, while rights groups alleged that habeas corpus and bail decisions were frequently ignored or politically overridden.[39][40] The Asian Human Rights Commission further argued that the judiciary became increasingly ineffective under emergency rule, with military intelligence agencies operating beyond meaningful judicial scrutiny and civilian institutions subordinated to military-backed governance.[41]

See also

Notes

  1. Bengali: বাংলাদেশ সুপ্রীম কোর্ট, romanized: Baṅladeś Suprim Korṭ, pronounced [ˈbaŋlaˌdeʃ ˈsupɾim ˈkoɾt]

References

  1. "Jurisdiction the Supreme Court". Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  2. List of Judges in Supreme Court of Bangladesh Archived 1 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Supreme Court of Bangladesh Archived 25 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of Bangladesh
  4. First Bangladesh Online Case Law Database Archived 14 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Chancery Law Chronicles- Database of Judgements of Appellate Division of Supreme Court
  5. Bangladesh Archived 10 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine, "Jurist Legal News and Research", University of Pittsburgh School of Law
  6. "Article 94. Establishment of Supreme Court". The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Ministry of Law, The People's Republic of Bangladesh.
  7. "How far the use of 'Bangla' in the Court of Bangladesh?". The Daily Star. 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  8. "Linguistic rights - Rhetoric v Reality". The Daily Star. 17 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  9. বিচার বিভাগে বাংলা প্রচলনে বুদ্ধিবৃত্তিক আন্দোলন প্রয়োজন [Intellectual movement needed to implement Bengali in the Judiciary]. Bonik Barta (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  10. "Bangla yet to be used in judicial work". The Independent. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  11. রায় লিখুন বাংলায়, যাতে মানুষ বোঝে: প্রধানমন্ত্রী ['Write verdicts in Bengali so that people understand' - Prime Minister]. bdnews24.com. 21 February 2019. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  12. Rahman, Muhammad Habibur (2014). "Bangla Bhashar Sangram Ekhono Asamapto" বাংলা ভাষার সংগ্রাম এখনো অসমাপ্ত [Bengali language movement yet to be successful]. Prothome Matribhasha Parobhasha Porey প্রথমে মাতৃভাষা পরভাষা পরে [The first language first, the second language second] (in Bengali) (2nd ed.). Dhaka: The University Press Limited. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-984-506-181-0.
  14. "News in Brief". The Daily Star. 8 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  15. "HC judges sworn in". bdnews24.com. 7 October 2013. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  16. "5 addl HC judges sworn in". The Daily Star. 12 June 2014. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  17. "Justice Manik tasked with criminal cases". The Daily Star. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  18. "10 HC judges sworn in". The Daily Star. 13 February 2015. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  19. হাই কোর্টে স্থায়ী হলেন ৮ বিচারক. bdnews24.com (in Bengali). 8 February 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  20. "18 additional HC judges appointed". New Age. 31 May 2018. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  21. "18 HC judges sworn in". The Daily Star. 30 May 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  22. "Nine new HC judges appointed". The Daily Star. 21 October 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  23. 11 newly-appointed HC judges take oath
  25. "HC orders protection of eight DU playgrounds". newagebd.net. 12 November 2025.
  26. "HC gets 25 new judges". thefinancialexpress.com.bd. 27 August 2025.
  27. "Bangladesh Judge Fired for Graft". Arab News. 21 April 2004. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  28. "Oath of 2 angers pro-BNP lawyers". The Daily Star. 5 November 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  29. "CJ-hopeful Nayeem resigns". The Daily Star. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  30. "Remove Justice Nizamul from HC". The Daily Star. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  31. "Pro-BNP, Jamaat lawyers oppose president's move". The Daily Star. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  32. "Legal notice served on govt". The Independent. Dhaka. 7 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  33. "President's office receives Justice Sinha's resignation". bdnews24.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  34. "Bangladesh's ex-chief justice sentenced to 11 years in jail for money laundering". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  35. "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 4 Num 241". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  36. "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 5 Num 194". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  37. "Justice Manik and image of judiciary". The Daily Star. 21 September 2015. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  38. "Bangladesh Italian Marble Works Ltd. v. Government of Bangladesh" (PDF). Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
  39. "World Report 2008: Bangladesh". Human Rights Watch.
  40. "World Report 2009: Bangladesh". Human Rights Watch.
  41. "BANGLADESH: Military dealing with case assignments in the Supreme Court and the systematic smothering of the judiciary". Asian Human Rights Commission.