The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is continuing its investigation into allegations of misconduct against five judges of the High Court Division, including Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman.
Justice Akhtaruzzaman is scheduled for his final hearing before the SJC on 26 August. The probe was initiated by the council on 23 March 2025 following a directive from the President, based on information previously submitted by the SJC.
As part of the investigation, the SJC on 25 June summoned Justice Akhtaruzzaman to appear before the council. On 1 July, the HC judge turned up and explained the allegations brought against him.
Md Shafiqul Islam, public relations officer (PRO) of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, confirmed the matter to the Daily Sun. 
Justice Akhtaruzzaman is among 12 HC judges temporarily barred from judicial duties by the chief justice since 21 October 2024. Five of them are now under SJC review, while seven other judges have resigned, retired or been removed through the SJC process.
Alongside Justice Akhtaruzzaman, the four other HC judges now under SJC review are Justice Naima Haider, Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif, Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar and Justice SM Maniruzzaman. 
Of the seven other judges, Justice Khizir Hayat and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman were removed, Justice Shahed Nuruddin resigned and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das retired while under SJC inquiry. Justice SM Maud Hossain Dolan and Justice Md Aminul Islam were not appointed as permanent judges of the High Court. 
Through the 6th Amendment to the Constitution, the power to remove the judges of the Supreme Court was vested in the Parliament instead of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). 
Later, the 6th Amendment was declared invalid by the High Court and the Appellate Division, but the review petition in this regard remained pending. On 20 October 2024, the Appellate Division disposed of the petition, and the SJC was revived. 
Then the three-member Supreme Judicial Council, headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, started its activities. The other two members of the council are the Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury.
After the commencement of the SJC, three judges of the High Court-- Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury, Justice Kazi Reza-ul Haque and Justice AKM Zahirul Haque-- submitted their resignation letters to the President, and their resignations were accepted on 19 November 2024.

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Edited by Abdul Mukith