Justice Sinha to head judiciary

Law Minister Anisul Huq told on Monday that the outgoing Chief Justice would end his term on Jan 16 on reaching 67, the retirement age for SC judges.

Justice Sinha, who turns 64 next month, will be the 21st head of judiciary in Bangladesh and the first non-Muslim to hold the top position in the Muslim-majority country.

The swearing-in of Justice Sinha would take place the following day at the Bangabhaban.

Surendra Kumar Sinha, the most senior Appellate Judge in the Supreme Court, will take over as the Chief Justice of Bangladesh on Jan 17.

Earlier President Md Abdul Hamid appointed Justice Sinha, who became a High Court judge in October 1999 and got elevated to the Appellate Division in July 2009, choosing not to supersede the most senior judge as it happened in the past in some cases.

Born on Feb 1, 1951, Sinha began his career in Sylhet enrolling himself with the local bar in 1974.

Justice Sinha was also part of the Bench that heard the 2009 appeals in the Bangabandhu Murder Case and has been an appeals judge in the on-going war crimes trials.

He will serve just over three years as Chief Justice with his retirement due in early 2018.

Sinha sat on the Appellate Bench that heard the 13th Amendment appeal and scrapped the provision for Caretaker Government to oversee national elections.