Justice S K Sinha becomes first Hindu Chief Justice of Bangladesh

Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha was appointed Chief Justice of Bangladesh by President Mohammad Abdul Hamid.

With this appointment, he has become the first Hindu to hold highest judicial post in the Muslim-majority country.

He will succeed incumbent Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain as he is retiring on 16 January 2015 and will have a term of around three years.

About S K Sinha:

• Legal career: He started his legal career in 1974 as an advocate of the district court, Sylhet after completing LLB.

• He was an advocate of the high court in 1978 and later in the appellate division in 1990.

• In 1999, he was appointed as judge of the High Court and later in 2009 as judge of the Appellate Division.

• It should be noted that Bangladesh has unitary Supreme Court structure and comprises two divisions – the Appellate Division and the High Court division.

• Key judgments: His landmark judgments include on assassination of Bangladesh’s first President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 5th and 13th amendments to the country’s Constitution.