President Mohammed Shahabuddin has removed High Court judge Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman from office following a recommendation by the Supreme Judicial Council on proven allegations of misconduct.
The law ministry issued a gazette notification on Wednesday confirming the removal.
The Supreme Court, in a separate statement on Thursday said that the decision was made based on the SJC鈥檚 findings, led by the chief justice.
Justice Diliruzzaman was among 12 High Court judges placed under investigation in January after the president directed the SJC to probe allegations of judicial misconduct.
With his removal, a total of seven judges have either been dismissed or resigned under the SJC process so far.
Earlier, Justice Khizir Hayat was removed by the president on March 18 upon similar recommendations from the SJC.
Justice Shahed Nuruddin resigned amid the probe, while Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das retired before the conclusion of their inquiries.
Additional High Court judges SM Masud Hossain Dolon and Md Aminul Islam鈥攁lso among the 12 under scrutiny鈥攚ere not retained by the interim government, effectively ending their tenure.
On August 6, 2024, the Supreme Court Bar Association demanded the removal of judges accused of delivering politically influenced verdicts under the Awami League government. The SCBA had called for their resignation within two weeks.
Justice Diliruzzaman and Justice Khizir Hayat were both appointed as additional High Court judges on May 31, 2018, during the Awami League鈥檚 tenure.
They were confirmed as permanent judges in 2020.
On October 21, 2024, the Supreme Court barred 12 judges from judicial functions following widespread student protests alleging political bias in the judiciary during Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 15-year rule.
The five remaining judges still under SJC review are Justice Naima Haider, Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif, Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar, Justice SM Maniruzzaman, and Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman.
In a related development, three other High Court judges 鈥� Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury, Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque, and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque 鈥� resigned in November 2024 after being barred from judicial duties for five years on similar grounds.
