Dhaka: Bangladesh’s Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has been awarded the prestigious ‘Lifetime Fellowship’ by the world-renowned Wadham College of Oxford University in recognition of his contributions to law, justice, and human rights.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the honorary fellowship was presented to the Chief Justice today, as announced in a press release. In a letter to Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, Robert Hannigan, warden of Wadham College, expressed his pleasure in the governing body’s decision to elect him to an honorary fellowship, hoping that Justice Ahmed would accept the honor.
The honorary fellowship is a lifetime recognition, granting Justice Refaat the opportunity to attend various annual events at the college and receive invitations to formal dinners, along with access to college facilities. The Bangladesh Supreme Court expressed pride in this achievement, viewing it as a significant moment for the country’s judiciary and legal system.
This global acknowledgment not only highlights the personal success of Chief Justice Dr. Refaat Ahmed but also reflects the international respect and honor given to Bangladesh’s judiciary. Justice Refaat, an alumnus of Wadham College, previously earned his postgraduate law degree with first-class honors from the institution, one of the most prestigious in the United Kingdom.
Appointed as the 25th chief justice of Bangladesh in August last year, following the July Uprising, Justice Refaat was the most senior judge in the High Court Division at the time. He has an extensive academic background, having studied law at Dhaka University, followed by a Master’s and PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Justice Refaat’s professional career began as a lawyer specializing in the banking sector, and he also served as an immigration law expert with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He enrolled as an advocate in the Dhaka District Court in 1984 and in the High Court Division in 1986, later becoming an additional judge in 2003 and a permanent judge in 2005.
Justice Refaat hails from a distinguished family; his father, Barrister Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, was Bangladesh’s first additional attorney general, and his mother, National Professor Dr. Sufia Ahmed, was a notable academic and a key figure in the Language Movement of 1952. She was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2002 and the Sufia Kamal Award in 2015.