Staff Reporter:
Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday said the strength and independence of the judiciary rest on the collective efforts of judges, lawyers and all stakeholders, expressing the hope that the Bar and the Bench would continue to work together to uphold justice.
“The strength of the judiciary is not the strength of any individual judge, nor is it the strength of any individual lawyer. It is the result of our collective efforts. Therefore, I hope that the Bar and the Bench will continue to work together for the betterment of the judiciary in the future as well,” he said while addressing his farewell reception organized jointly by the Office of the Attorney General and the Su-preme Court Bar Association.
The apex court judge on his last day on the podium said Bangladesh’ constitution is not merely a docu-ment for governing the state, adding, it embodies the spirit of the nation’s independence and its commit-ment to democracy, justice and the protection of human dignity.
“It is the responsibility of the judiciary to uphold that commitment. A judge’s loyalty is not to any indi-vidual, group or authority. Rather, a judge’s allegiance is to the constitution, the law and his or her own conscience,” he added.
Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kazol and Supreme Court Bar Association President AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon spoke on the illustrious judicial career of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam. His colleague judg-es from both the divisions of the Supreme Court and a good number of lawyers attended the function, among others.
Born on July 15, 1959, Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam obtained his LLB (Hons), and LLM from University of Dhaka. He was enrolled as an Advocate of the District Court and the High Court Division of the Su-preme Court in 1983 and 1985 respectively.
Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam was elevated as Additional Judge of the High Court Division on August 27, 2003 and appointed Judge of the same division on August 27, 2005. He was elevated to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh on December 8, 2022.
