Seventeen Sylhet Government Lawyers Resign Citing Policy Disagreements with Interim Administration

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Seventeen government lawyers serving in the Sylhet District and Metropolitan Sessions Judge courts have resigned, citing dissatisfaction with the current interim administration’s policy decisions. The legal professionals, all members of the Bangladesh Lawyers Council—a body known for its ties to the Jamaat-e-Islami political movement—submitted their formal resignations to the Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Justice through the Sylhet Deputy Commissioner on Wednesday.

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Abdullah Al Mamun confirmed the development, noting that the letters were filed at approximately 3:00 p.m. local time. The group of departing officials includes one additional public prosecutor, one additional government pleader, and 15 assistant public prosecutors.

In their individual resignation letters, the lawyers outlined four primary grievances, expressing opposition to the government’s perceived reluctance to hold a referendum, amend the constitution, implement the July Charter, and establish an independent judiciary. They requested an immediate release from their professional duties, citing these policy failures as the motivation for their voluntary departure.

The signatories include high-ranking officials Md. Alim Uddin and Mohammad Nazmul Huda, alongside fifteen assistant public prosecutors, namely Md. Rabiul Islam, Juned Ahmad, Md. Mozammil Ali, Md. Rahmat Ali, Yasin Khan, Mohammad Nazmul Islam, Saleh Ahmad, Aminul Islam Chowdhury, Kazi Atiful Haque, Sadek Ahmad, Mohammad Moinul Islam, Md. Abdul Gaffar, Afzal Mia Talukdar, Khairul Alam, and Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman.

Mohammad Abdur Rob, Secretary of the Bangladesh Lawyers Council in Sylhet, confirmed that the group acted in unison to protest the government’s trajectory. These resignations mark a significant shift within the local legal establishment, following the October 16, 2024, appointment of 103 government lawyers to the Sylhet district and metropolitan courts by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.