Recently retired Appellate Division judge Muhammad Abdul Hafiz has wondered how a salaried government official can own Tk 100 crore.
“Corruption is undermining all our achievements. The office court should be kept free from corrupt people. How a salaried officer-employee becomes the owner of crores or even hundreds of crores of taka shocks the countrymen. So the state has to take responsibility to prevent them. Then the country will benefit. ’
Justice Muhammad Abdul Hafiz said this while replying to a farewell reception at the courtroom of the Appellate Division on his last working day on Thursday.
Mentioning that false cases are now being used as a tool to harass opponents, he said, “False cases have become a threat to justice. ’
He was accorded a reception by the Attorney General’s Office and the Supreme Court Bar Association. Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, among others, spoke on the occasion. Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan and judges of the Appellate Division were present in the courtroom.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Supreme Court Bar Association President AM Mahbub Uddin Khokan highlighted various aspects of Justice Abdul Hafiz’s family, education and career in their speeches. Justice Hafeez then gave a written statement.
Justice Abdul Hafiz’s four-page written statement highlighted various issues including the judiciary, judiciary, nature of crime, corruption, society-culture, values.
At the time, he said, “The mentality of becoming rich at the moment without caring for ethics and morality has pushed us into a big disaster. ’
Referring to the changing nature of crime in the country and the horror of juvenile gangs, the judge said, “The type of crime is constantly changing with the passage of time. They are putting our children in dire straits. Parents face many challenges. Family harmony, culture, long-cherished values are being destroyed. Juvenile gangs have emerged. Drugs, social lawlessness, arms race, threats and apprehension have spread. And these are the obstacles to our sustainable development, peace, expanded love, patience and cooperation. ’
Referring to the horror of false cases, Justice Muhammad Abdul Hafiz said, “False cases are being used as a tool to harass opponents. The judiciary has to bear the brunt of it. This is wasting a lot of court time. ’
“The judiciary has been performing its duties to protect the weak, prevent corruption, get just rights and ensure peace and security of the country and its people,” he said. ’
Justice Muhammad Abdul Hafiz was born on June 1, 1957. After obtaining LLB (Hons) and LLM degrees from Dhaka University, he enrolled as an advocate in the Dhaka Judge Court in 1982 and the High Court Division of the Supreme Court in 1985. He was appointed as an additional judge of the High Court on April 27, 2003. He became a permanent judge of the High Court on April 27, 2005. Justice Muhammad Abdul Hafiz was sworn in as a judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on April 25.