Three HC judges asked to refrain from judicial duties as they face probe

Three High Court judges have been temporarily relieved of their judicial duties after a probe into allegations of professional misconduct against them was initiated, reports bdnews24.com.

The judges are Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury, Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque and Justice Md Rezaul Haque.

Their names did not appear in the Supreme Court's working schedule for Thursday.

As speculation of the probe against the three judges began surfacing in the morning, the Supreme Court and the law ministry remained tight-lipped about the matter.

But the move was eventually confirmed by Saifur Rahman, special officer of the High Court Division, on Thursday afternoon.

"In light of a primary probe against the three judges of the High Court, they were told to refrain from their judicial duties upon consultation with the President. And they later applied for leave," he said.

But the Supreme Court administration official refused to disclose details of the probe.

Asked about the matter, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said, "I've also heard about it. But I haven't spoken to anyone. I don't know what is being done."