Bangladesh chief justice agrees to resign amid new student protests

The chief justice of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has agreed "in principle" to resign following pressure from protesters, just days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India.

Obaidul Hassan, appointed to lead the court last year and seen as a Hasina loyalist, was confronted by demonstrators outside the Dhaka Supreme Court on Saturday.

They demanded his resignation after hearing he was meeting with Appellate Division justices, fearing it was a prelude to a "judicial coup", Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

A formal resignation letter from Hassan is expected pending consultations with President Mohammed Shahabuddin. Protesters, critical of the court's perceived political bias, are also calling for the resignation of the other seven Supreme Court members.

Hasina, 76, fled to India on Monday amid accusations of severe human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killing of political opponents. Hassan, who led a controversial war crimes tribunal and whose brother was Hasina’s long-time secretary, faced criticism for his role in these events.

With Hasina's sudden departure, several top officials, including the national police chief and the central bank governor, have been ousted. On Friday, the bank’s governor, Abdur Rouf Talukder, resigned, citing personal reasons amid escalating political unrest.

Muhammad Yunus, Nobel laureate and renowned microfinance pioneer, has stepped in as "chief adviser" to a caretaker administration, which includes civilians and one retired brigadier-general. Yunus, who aims to hold elections within a few months, has called for national unity and pledged to build a new Bangladesh. He paid tribute to Abu Sayeed, the student killed in protests last month, and urged for a unified and equitable approach to rebuilding the nation.