Surendra Kumar Sinha

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"My last days in Bangladesh were very appalling, which cannot be expressed in words. Because it is a question of realisation. I, as a sitting chief justice, had been kept under house arrest. I was not allowed to communicate with anybody. My internet connections were disconnected. Nobody was allowed to meet me. Security forces [intelligence] would stand guard around my home. One of my staffers was beaten up while he was entering my house. Saiful Abedin, the then chief of DGFI, used to disturb me at midnight and put pressure on me to resign and leave the country."

—Surendra Kumar Sinha

In a 14 August 2024 interview with The Daily Star , following the fall of the Hasina government, Sinha recounted the intense pressure he faced from then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Sinha claimed that Hasina, using DGFI personnel, forced him to leave the country due to his efforts to uphold judicial independence despite her interference. He noted that tensions began when he initiated measures to prevent lower courts from granting bail to notorious criminals shortly after his appointment as the 21st Chief Justice of Bangladesh in January 2015.

The conflict escalated when he directed the law ministry to draft disciplinary rules for lower court judges, ensuring that the Supreme Court retained authority rather than the executive branch. The situation further intensified when he refused to rule in favor of the government in the 16th amendment case, which concerned the removal of Supreme Court judges, in July 2017.

Sinha stated that his colleagues in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, under government influence, refused to sit with him in court. They also informed him that the High Court judges would not cooperate with him, subjecting him to immense mental pressure.

He recounted that on the night of July 2, he was summoned to Bangabhaban for a meeting with then-President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Law Minister Anisul Huq, and Attorney General Mahbubey Alam. During the meeting, Hasina requested that he deliver the verdict in favor of the government the next day, July 3. However, he declined, prioritizing the independence of the judiciary.

"I could figure that the prime minister perhaps convinced the other judges of the apex court bench to deliver judgement in favour of the government. At one stage, the arguments with the prime minister heated up and I told her that I would resign right away. At that, she requested me not to resign and said the people would take it very badly if I resigned. She told me to go ahead as I wished."

—Surendra Kumar Sinha

Sinha stated that after all seven judges of the Appellate Division unanimously delivered the verdict on July 3, 2017, which scrapped the 16th amendment, members of the ruling party, including Prime Minister Hasina, harshly criticized him for over five hours.

Sinha added an incident where, after a day at the Supreme Court, the DGFI chief visited his office, claiming that the prime minister had sent him to demand his resignation and departure from the country. Justice Sinha recalled shouting at the DGFI chief, questioning his authority, and was told that they only follow the prime minister's orders, not those of the law minister or attorney general. He asked the DGFI chief to leave, but upon returning home, he was placed under house arrest.

The Supreme Court's registrar general informed him that they could do nothing and advised him to take leave. Distressed, Justice Sinha signed a seven-day leave application prepared by his secretary. When he arrived home that evening, he found his residence completely secured by military personnel in plainclothes, with all gates closed and internet connections disconnected.

"Then I thought the government might not allow me to stay in the country. I hurriedly completed other relevant proceedings. I went to Japan to join a conference of the chief justices of the Asia Pacific countries. After getting out of the conference room, I got a phone call from DGFI and was told not to return home. A day later, I came back to Bangladesh through Singapore. After I landed at Dhaka airport, I discovered that five to six DGFI members surrounded me. They were not allowing me to go to my officials present there. A tall man told me that they wanted to have a cup of coffee with me and requested me to give them five minutes. I asked them to mind their language and maintain the protocol. Incensed, I said 'get lost'. They wanted to go with me in my car on the pretext of ensuring my security. I told them that I have a car and security and I don't need them and left. I thought it was another bad signal.

—Surendra Kumar Sinha

The following morning, as he worked from his residential office, Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah called, requesting to meet him. Although Sinha asked Wahhab to come to his house, Wahhab insisted that he go to his residence, where other judges were present. Sensing a conspiracy, Justice Sinha invited them to his home instead. When they arrived, they informed him they would not sit with him in court, a decision Sinha recognized as being influenced by the government, further isolating him and undermining his position.

Amid this situation, Justice Sinha left Bangladesh on the night of October 13, 2017.

Personal life

Sinha is married to Sushama Sinha. [18] He sought asylum in USA, but was denied [24] then he crossed the border to Canada and sought asylum there. [25]

Biography

Sinha published his autobiography A Broken Dream: Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy on 19 September 2018. In the book, he gave first-hand accounts of government agencies intimidating the judges to serve verdicts in favour of the government, ruled by Awami League. In a sensational revelation, he alleged that the country's military intelligence agency Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), forced him to leave the country and offer the resignation. [26] DGFI spokesperson Brigadier general Tanveer Mazhar Siddique, later denied the allegation saying, "DGFI never threatens any person or does anything like this". [27]

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References

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  27. "In his book, Justice Sinha says he was 'exiled' by government". The Daily Star. 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
Surendra Kumar Sinha
সুরেন্দ্র কুমার সিনহা
Surendra Kumar Sinha.jpg
Sinha in New Delhi (2015)
21st Chief Justice of Bangladesh
In office
17 January 2015 11 November 2017