Bangladesh’s chief justice and central bank governor have resigned, officials said on Saturday, as student protests that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee have widened to target more officials appointed during her time in office.

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan resigned, the law ministry’s adviser Asif Nazrul said in a Facebook video post, after students warned him of “dire consequences” if he did not. Reuters could not immediately contact Hassan.

Nazrul, an adviser in the new caretaker government, urged protesters to remain peaceful. “Don’t damage any public property,” he said in the post.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder has also resigned but his resignation has not been accepted given the importance of the position, finance ministry adviser Salehuddin Ahmed told reporters. Reuters could not contact Talukder.

Days earlier, four deputy governors were forced to resign after about 300 to 400 bank officials protested against what they said was corruption by top officials.

The vice chancellor of Dhaka University, ASM Maksud Kamal, has also resigned, the university said. Reuters was unable to contact Kamal.

The university has been the epicentre of deadly protests that escalated in July against quotas in government jobs before morphing into an oust-Hasina campaign.

Hasina has been sheltering in New Delhi since Monday following the uprising that killed about 300 people, many of them students, ending her uninterrupted rule of 15 years in the South Asian nation of 170 million people.

Since her departure, the country has also seen the appointment of a new police chief as part of a shake-up of the security top brass that also included a new head of the technical intelligence monitoring agency and changes among senior army officials.

Bangladesh chief justice resigns from post

Bangladesh Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan decided to resign as the head of Bangladesh’s judiciary after thousands of protesters surrounded the Supreme Court building on Saturday.

The protest followed reports that the chief justice was going to hold a full court meeting of judges and possibly act against the interim government.

Chief Justice Hassan made his decision about resignation around 1pm on Saturday, following a significant gathering of protesters at the apex court premises. He is set to submit his formal resignation letter to President Mohammed Shahabuddin later in the evening.

The protests were triggered by Hassan’s recent call for a full court meeting involving all justices of the Supreme Court. Many protesters perceived this move as a threat to the interim government and accused the chief justice of attempting a judicial coup. This led to a blockade of the court by demonstrators, who also issued an ultimatum for the chief justice and the Appellate Division justices to step down.

In response to the mounting pressure, Hassan initially postponed the court meeting before deciding to resign.

Law Adviser Professor Asif Nazrul commented on the situation, emphasizing that the chief justice’s resignation was necessary to uphold the dignity of the judiciary. Nazrul criticised Hassan for what he described as a controversial approach to addressing student grievances, which included staying at the residences of Awami League leaders during overseas trips—a point of contention among protestors.

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Protesters occupy Supreme Court premises

The protestors, including students and lawyers, occupied the Supreme Court premises, prompting the deployment of Bangladesh Army personnel to ensure security. Army members were stationed across key areas of the Supreme Court complex and urged the protestors to remain peaceful.

Abdul Muqaddim, a protest leader, alleged that the chief justice’s actions were part of a broader conspiracy to undermine the interim government, a claim that fueled further outrage among the demonstrators.

As the situation unfolded, Asif Mahmud, adviser to the Sports Ministry of the interim government, joined the calls for Hassan’s unconditional resignation and the cancellation of the full court meeting.

This episode is part of a larger wave of unrest in Bangladesh, which originally began as a protest against a controversial quota system for government jobs and evolved into broader demands for political change. The resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the subsequent formation of an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus have only intensified the political climate.

As Bangladesh navigates this turbulent period, the resignation of Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan marks a significant moment in the ongoing struggle between the judiciary, student activists, and the interim government.