Dhaka: Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court was sworn in today as the 26th Chief Justice of Bangladesh. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office during a ceremony at Durbar Hall of the Bangabhaban. Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, along with advisers to the interim government, judges, chiefs of the three services, and Supreme Court lawyers, including SC Bar Association leaders, were present at the oath-taking ceremony. Cabinet Secretary Dr Sheikh Abdur Rashid conducted the ceremony at about 10:35 am.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, President Mohammed Shahabuddin appointed Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury as the country’s 26th Chief Justice under the authority of Article 95 (1) of the Constitution. A gazette notification on the appointment was issued by the law ministry on December 23, stating that the appointment would take effect from the day Justice Chowdhury took the oath of office. This appointment follows the retirement of the
country’s 25th Chief Justice, Syed Refaat Ahmed, whose tenure ended on Saturday, December 27.
Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury has a background as a lawyer, enrolled in the District Judges’ Court in 1985 and as an advocate of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court in 1987. He was appointed as an additional judge of the High Court Division on August 27, 2003, and became a permanent judge two years later. On August 13, 2024, he was elevated to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
Justice Chowdhury completed his LLB (Hons) and LLM degrees from Dhaka University and obtained another Master’s degree in international law from the UK. Throughout his judicial career, he has participated in international conferences, seminars, training programmes, and courses in various countries including Belgium, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and Nepal.