Obaidul Hassan

Obaidul Hassan (born 11 January 1959) is a jurist who briefly served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He was appointed as the chief justice on 12 September 2023 and served as 24th Chief justice of Bangladesh. He also served as the president of the 2022 Search Committee for the formation of Bangladesh Election Commission. He was forced to resign as Chief Justice in the aftermath of the July Revolution.

Early life and background Obaid was born on 11 January 1959 in Mohanganj Upazila, Netrokona District in the then East Pakistan, Pakistan. Obaid's father was Akhlakul Hossain Ahmed, a member of East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, and his mother was Begum Hosne Ara Hossain. His brother, Sajjadul Hassan, is the incumbent Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Netrokona-4 constituency since August 2023 and a former senior secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office and the chairman of the board of directors of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines. He completed his law degree from the Dhanmondi Law College .

Obaid started working as an advocate in the Appellate Division of Bangladesh Supreme Court in 2005.

In the midst of the non-cooperation movement when a huge number of student protesters, who were calling for the resignation of Sheikh Hasina's government, many protesters were shot to death by the police. Many lawyers submitted a plea to the High Court asking for the immediate cease of using lethal weapons by the police or any other law enforcement agencies. The High Court rejected this plea on 4 August 2024, just a day before Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign as Prime Minister and fled to India in the face of mass protests on 5 August. Obaidul Hassan resigned on 10 August 2024, after students protested his calling upon a full court meeting without consulting the Interim Government and surrounded the High Court. Obaid's tenure was criticised by chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, who called him a "hangman".

Personal life Obaid is married to Nafisa Banu, a member of the board of directors of Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority.