The Bangladesh Bar Council on Saturday suspended the license of Patuakhali lawyer Md Ruhul Amin Shikder as preliminary findings confirmed his attempt to bribe a judge to secure bail for an accused in a rape case.
Ruhul Amin, who is linked to the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, on August 20, allegedly sent Tk 50,000 and the file of a rape case to senior district judge Nilufar Shirin.
The council took the action during an emergency meeting chaired by attorney general Md Asaduzzaman.
In the same meeting, the council also formed a three-member probe committee,聽 led by executive committee chairman Ruhul Quddus Kazal, to investigate allegations that Gazipur lawyer Omar Soyeb, who is also a barrister, tortured two child domestic workers.
Council secretary Mohammad Kamal Hossain Shikder confirmed the decisions in a press release.
Attorney general Asaduzzaman, speaking at the Bar Council鈥檚 annual extended meeting, urged the lawyers to stand against corruption and unethical practices within the legal community.
The meeting began with a welcome address from the council vice chairman Zainul Abedin.
He recalled that the current leadership took over on September 22, 2024, after the previous council vacated their posts following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in the July uprising.
鈥榃e had to form a 14-member ad hoc committee to run the council, as elections couldn鈥檛 be held due to an incomplete voter list left behind by the previous council,鈥� Abedin said.
Earlier, speaking as the ex officio chairman, the attorney general stressed that restoring respect for the legal profession depended on lawyers taking a strong stand against misconduct among their peers.
鈥業f we cover up our own crimes鈥攊f we protect those caught red-handed with bribe money or allow abuse of domestic workers鈥攚e will fail in our mission,鈥� he said. 鈥極ur silence will only weaken the profession.鈥�
Patuakhali District Bar Association president Humayun Kabir told the meeting that lawyer Md Ruhul Amin Shikder sent an envelope to the judge鈥檚 official residence, which contained both a case file and money in cash.
鈥楾he judge immediately alerted bar leaders and confronted the person who delivered it. CCTV footage supported the judge鈥檚 account,鈥� he said.
Following the incident, the district bar association suspended the lawyer鈥檚 membership and issued him a show-cause notice. A formal complaint was also submitted to the Bangladesh Bar Council, the regulatory body for lawyers.
The presidents and general secretaries of all district bar associations across the country attended the meeting.
Earlier, Ruhul Quddus Kazal said that the two incidents damaged the lawyer community鈥檚 image as they were widely reported on television and social media.
Several bar leaders urged the council to increase the benevolent fund for families of deceased lawyers from the current amount of Tk 10 lakh to Tk 40 lakh, and to expedite disbursement.
They also requested that rest house fees at the Bar Council鈥檚 high-rise building in Dhaka be reduced.
A major demand raised there was the introduction of a law to protect lawyers from arbitrary arrest, similar to government officials, who require higher authority鈥檚 approval for arrest.
The attorney general informed the participants that the proposed 9-bigha abandoned land at Sylhet for the lawyers鈥� training center has been almost finalised following discussions with the housing and public works adviser Adilur Rahman.
The attorney general said that the government earns nearly Tk 15,000 crore annually from court fees, but only about Tk 500 crore is allocated to the judiciary.
He also mentioned that he requested the law ministry to allocate block grants to expand the lawyers鈥� welfare fund.
On reform measures, he said that the Bar Council was working to ensure transparency in the enrollment process by conducting competitive examinations and publishing results promptly.
He added that the chief justice had approved a Bar Council proposal to establish a restaurant on an unused plot north of the Supreme Court complex.
