Mainur Reza Chowdhury (23 June 1938 – 26 June 2004) was a Bangladeshi jurist who served as the 12th Chief Justice of Bangladesh between 18 June 2002 and 22 June 2003. [1] [2] He was appointed to the role by former President Badruddoza Chowdhury.
Chowdhury was born on 23 June 1938 to an aristocratic Bengali Muslim family known as the Zamindars of Monakosha in Nawabganj, Malda district, Bengal Presidency. His father, Murtaza Raza Choudhry, was a former Finance Minister of East Pakistan and a member of the 1st National Assembly of Pakistan. His great-grandfather, Ismail Hossain Choudhry, was the zamindar of Kotalpukur in Bihar. Chowdhury's mother, Syeda Roqeya Akhtar, belonged to the Syeds of Taraf that had relocated to Comilla. His maternal aunt, Syeda Selena Akhtar, was the wife of politician Fazlul Qadir Chaudhry. [3]
Chowdhury was appointed a Supreme Court judge in 1990 and was elevated to the appellate division in 2000. [4]
Chowdhury was married to Najma Chowdhury, an academic. [5]
Reza is the Persian variant of the Arabic name Rida, which literally means "the fact of being pleased or contented; contentment, approval". It is one of the most widely used names in Iran.
Begum Sufia Kamal was a Bangladeshi poet, feminist leader, and political activist. She took part in the Bengali nationalist movement of the 1950s and civil society leader in independent Bangladesh. She led feminist activism and was a president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad. She died in 1999 and was the first woman to be given a state funeral in Bangladesh.
Fazlul Quader Chowdhury was a Bengali politician who served as the 5th speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan from East Pakistan. He belonged to Ayub Khan's Convention Muslim League. He was also the acting president of Pakistan from time to time when Ayub Khan left the country. His elder brother Fazlul Kabir Chowdhury was the leader of the opposition in East Pakistan assembly. Quader was preceded by Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan of Awami League.
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2004th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 4th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 5th year of the 2000s decade.
Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, often shortened as Maulana Bhashani, was a Bengali politician. His political tenure spanned the British colonial India, Pakistan and Bangladesh periods. Maulana Bhashani was popularly known by the honorary title Mozlum Jananeta for his lifelong stance advocating for the poor. He gained nationwide mass popularity among the peasants and helped to build the East Pakistan Peasant Association. Owing to his political leaning to the left, often dubbed Islamic Socialism, he was also called 'The Red Maulana'. He is considered as one of the main pillars of Bangladeshi independence (1971).
The Prithimpassa family, also known as the Nawabs of Longla, are a Shia royal family from the Prithimpassa Union, Kulaura Upazila, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Bangladesh. The family was of the erstwhile feudal nobility of East Bengal. They played important roles in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Partition of India and Sylhet referendum in 1947, and the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.
Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi politician, minister and six-term member of Jatiya Sangsad and member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Standing Committee, who served as the adviser of parliamentary affairs to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in from 2001 to 2006. On 1 October 2013 he was convicted of 9 of 23 charges and sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh for crimes during the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence. However, limitations placed on his defense testimony were called "disturbing" and the trial was politically motivated.
Chowdhury is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated with zamindars and social leaders. The common female equivalent was Chowdhurani.
Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi politician. She served as a Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Faridpur-2 constituency from 2008 till her death in 2022. She also served as the Environment and Forest Minister of Bangladesh during 1996–2001.
Najma Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi academic.
The Nawabs of Dhanbari, also known as the Chowdhury family of Dhanbari, were a Bengali aristocratic family of feudal landowners. The zamindari estate encompassed parts of the Tangali, Jamalpur, Mymensingh and Pabna District, particularly around Dhanbari. Although their aristocratic status was lost with the East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950, the Dhanbari estate remains an important part of the history of Tangail and tourist attraction.
Syed Hasan Ali Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi politician, minister and the former Nawab of Dhanbari. He served as a Minister for Commerce and Industry in East Pakistan after being elected in 1962 elections.
Murtaza Raza Choudhry was a Member of the 1st National Assembly of Pakistan as a representative of East Pakistan.
Syed Qamarul Ahsan was a Bengali politician and litterateur. He was a Member of the 3rd National Assembly of Pakistan, representing the Sylhet-V (Habiganj) constituency.
Syeda Shahar Banu was a leader of the Bengali language movement and pioneer of the women's rights movement in Sylhet. She also played an important role in the lead-up to the 1947 Sylhet referendum and the establishment of Sylhet Government Women's College.
Khan Bahadur Abidur Reza Chowdhury was a Bengali politician and philanthropist. He was one of the founding members of the All-India Muslim League. The present-day Cumilla District Board auditorium is named after him.
Syeda Umme Rushaida Ashiqua Akbar was a Bangladeshi politician and a Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Tangail-1 constituency during 1981–1982.
Zara Jabeen Mahbub is a Bangladeshi politician.