Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, Barrister Abdur Razzaq, has been hospitalised in critical condition.
Lawyer Shishir Monir confirmed the news on Monday, saying, “Barrister Abdur Razzaq Sir is critically ill and currently undergoing treatment in a hospital. Please pray for his recovery.”
On December 26 last year, Barrister Razzaq returned to Bangladesh after 11 years in the United Kingdom and resumed his legal practice. On January 6, his junior lawyers hosted a reception for him at the Supreme Court Bar Association.
A former Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, Razzaq left for the UK on December 18, 2013, after serving as a defense lawyer for several top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders in crimes against humanity cases at the International Crimes Tribunal.
While in the UK, he resigned from Jamaat-e-Islami on February 15, 2019. Following his resignation, party Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman said in a statement: “We are saddened and shocked by his resignation. Resignation is a recognized right of any member. We pray for his well-being and health wherever he may be. We hope our bond of affection with him will remain intact.”
Subsequently, Razzaq became the chief adviser of the newly formed Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party. However, after political changes, he resigned from that post on August 17.
Upon returning to the country, Razzaq was asked about his political future. He stated: “I am a lawyer. I am a courtroom barrister. I will try to contribute in the field of law. The rule of law is a fundamental pillar. If we can establish the rule of law in the country, our politics will be successful, and economic development will follow. Therefore, I will continue to work in the legal arena and serve the country and the nation through my legal practice.”
Born in 1944 in Shekhlal village, Mathiura Union, Beanibazar Upazila, Sylhet, Razzaq completed his BA (Honours) and MA before obtaining his Barrister-at-Law qualification from Lincoln’s Inn, UK, in 1980. He practiced law in London until November 1985, then returned to Bangladesh and enrolled as an advocate in 1986. He was enrolled in the High Court Division in 1988 and in the Appellate Division in 1994. In 1990, he founded the law firm “The Law Counsel,” and became a senior lawyer in the Appellate Division in 2002.