Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury made 26th chief justice

President Mohammed Shahabuddin has appointed Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury of the Appellate Division as the 26th chief justice of Bangladesh.

A notification signed by law ministry Secretary Liaquat Ali Mollah was issued on Wednesday with the president’s approval.

According to the notification, the appointment was made under Clause (1) of Article 95 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, appointing Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, a judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, as chief justice. The appointment will take effect from the date he takes the oath of office.

Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury was born on May 18, 1961. His father, the late AFM Abdur Rahman Chowdhury, was also a judge of the Supreme Court.

He completed his LLB (Honours) and LLM from Dhaka University and later earned a master’s degree in international law from the United Kingdom.

Justice Chowdhury enrolled as a lawyer in the judges’ court in 1985 and in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court in 1987. He was appointed an additional judge of the High Court Division on August 27, 2003, and was made a permanent judge two years later.

On August 12, 2024, President Mohammed Shahabuddin appointed him as a judge of the Appellate Division, and he was sworn in on August 13, 2024.

The newly appointed chief justice is scheduled to take oath at Bangabhaban on December 28. Under the constitution, the incumbent 25th chief justice, Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, will retire on December 27 upon attaining the age of 67.