Former president Shahabuddin passes away
The 92-year-old was undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka since 23 Feb
Former president of Bangladesh Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed has passed away.
The 92-year-old breathed his last at around 10:30am on Saturday, confirmed Supreme Court (SC) Special Officer Mohammad Saifur Rahman to the media.
Shahabuddin was undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka since 23 February.
He was suffering from various old-age complications.
The first namaz-e-janaza of the former president will be held on Saturday at his hometown Pemoi village in Paikura union of Netrokona's Kendua upazila.
Confirming the matter to the Business Standard, his nephew Sohrab Uddin Ahmed said, "His body will be airlifted to Netrokona from Dhaka at around 2pm today. After the first namaz-e-janaza in his village, he will be flown back to the capital again.
Shortly after the news broke, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chief Justice (CJ) Hasan Foez Siddique expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Shahabuddin.
They prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and conveyed their sympathies to the bereaved family members.
Former CJ Shahabuddin Ahmed led the caretaker government after the fall of military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
Shahabuddin was made president after Awami League came to power in 1996.
The son of a renowned social worker, he obtained a BA in Economics in 1951 and MA in International Relations in 1952 from Dhaka University.
He entered the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) in 1954, successfully completing training at the Lahore Civil Service Academy.
He also attended a special course on Public Administration at Oxford University.
He was promoted to the post of additional deputy commissioner after serving as a magistrate and then the sub-divisional officer of Gopalganj and Natore.
He was transferred to the judicial branch in June 1960 and served as additional district and sessions judge in Dhaka and Barishal and as district and sessions judge of Cumilla and Chattogram and then appointed as the registrar of the High Court (HC) in 1967.
In 1972, he was elevated to the bench as a judge of the HC. He was appointed as an Appellate Division judge eight years later.
