Attorney general criticizes former chief justices Khairul Haque, Syed Mahmud Hossain

Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman has labelled former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque a "willful wrongdoer," while accusing another former chief justice, Syed Mahmud Hossain, of working to destroy the judiciary.

He made these remarks on Tuesday in reaction to the High Court verdict declaring some provisions of the 15th amendment unconstitutional.

The attorney general said: “Justice Khairul Haque is a name synonymous with hypocrisy. He deviated from the main verdict and, 17 months later, upon releasing the verdict, mentioned that the next two elections would be determined by parliament. Breaking away from the group, Sinha Babu (later chief justice SK Sinha) said the next two elections would be held under a caretaker government."

"... back then someone mentioned Justice Manik. But no, the judiciary was not as damaged by Manik as it was by Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain (former chief justice). Cases should be filed against these individuals.”

Regarding the High Court ruling, the attorney general added: “The caretaker government system is not inconsistent with the constitution. Today’s verdict has declared that the caretaker government is constitutionally a valid government. Opinions were taken under Article 106. A full bench led by the chief justice opined that this is a constitutional opinion. The Appellate Division said the president sought their opinion because parliament had been dissolved, and the [former] prime minister had said it was not possible to form a government by inviting anyone else."

"Considering the situation, the president asked if there were any legal obstacles to forming an interim government. The Supreme Court, after reviewing the entire context, declared it to be a valid and constitutional government, with no conflicting provisions with the caretaker government system,” he added.