Justice Krishna Debnath: First Hindu Female Judge of Appellate Division

 

Four judges from the Supreme Court's High Court Division have been promoted to the Appellate Division with effect from 9 January 2022.

The Law and Justice Division issued a notice promoting Justice Borhanuddin, Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan, and Justice Krishna Debnath to Bangladesh's apex court on Sunday. They were appointed to the Appellate Division by the President.

Justice Krishna Debnath is Bangladesh's first Hindu female judge of the Appellate Division, Supreme Court. Justice Krishna Debnath obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in law from the University of Rajshahi and joined the Judicial Service as a munsif, a civil court judge, in 1981.

She was promoted to district and sessions judge in 1998 and elevated to additional judge of the High Court in 2010. She was appointed a judge of the same division in 2012.With these new appointments, the Appellate Division now has eight judges.

Justice Borhanuddin obtained his law degree from the University of Chittagong and was enrolled as an advocate of the District Court in 1985. Three years later, in 1988, he was assigned as an advocate to the High Court Division. He then became a Supreme Court advocate in 2002.

Borhanuddin was elevated as an additional judge to the High Court Division in 2008. Two years later, in 2010, he was appointed as a permanent member of the court.

Justice M Enayetur Rahim completed his Master's in Mass Communications and Journalism before obtaining his law degree and enrolling as a District Court advocate in 1986. He was appointed as an advocate to the High Court in 1989 and a Supreme Court advocate in 2002.

In 2009, he was elevated as an additional judge to the High Court and became a permanent member of the court in 2011.

Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan was enrolled as an advocate of the District Court after completing his Bachelor's, Master's and law degree in 1986. He was appointed as an advocate to the High Court Division in 1994 and to the Supreme Court in 2009.

He was elevated as an additional judge of the High Court in 2010 and appointed as a judge of the same division in 2012.

Once upon a time women in the region of the subcontinent were used to household chores. But with the passage of time, now they run the state and they are moving the wheels of the country's economy shoulder to shoulder with men.

Now-a-days, women are taking the lead in the playground crossing the boundary of the kitchen and agricultural field. From administration to trade and commerce, law and order, judiciary, everywhere there is a mark of women's success. All these have been possible due to the pragmatic steps undertaken by the present government.

 Women judges are imprinting their marks in the high court through their skills and efficiency. It is learnt that there are 10,373 members in the Supreme Court Bar Associations. Of them, 1,636 are women. For the first time, in 2000, Nazmun Ara Sultana was appointed as the first woman judge in the High Court of Bangladesh. Her wisdom and knowledge make it easier for women to participate in this important position. There are currently seven women judges - Salma Masud Chowdhury, Farah Mahbub, Naima Haider, Krishna Debnath, Kashefa Hossain, Fatema Najeeb and Kazi Jinat Haque - in the High Court.

Justice Krishna Debnath joined the judiciary on December 7, 1981 as a 'Munsef' after completing her law studies from Dhaka University. Later, in 1996, she was promoted to district and sessions judge. She was appointed as an additional judge on April 17, 2010. Two years later, on April 17, 2012, she was appointed as a permanent judge of the High Court Division.

Justice Kashefa Hossain obtained her law degree from the same university after completing her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in English from Dhaka University. She also studied the same subject in London. Later, in 1995, she joined the legal profession in the district court. She was enrolled as a lawyer in the High Court Division in 2003. Following this, she served as the deputy attorney general, the law officer of the state. On August 4, 2013, she was appointed as an additional judge in the High Court Division. On August 5, 2015, Kashefa Hossain was appointed as a permanent judge of the High Court Division.

Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana said the number of women judges in the high court is comparatively very low. She, however, hoped that this number will increase in the future on the basis of merit and qualifications. 'There are about 550 women judges in the lower courts across the country. This is a big step forward,' she added.

Rabeya Bhuiyan, the first woman barrister of Bangladesh, said the women of Bangladesh have gone far ahead than before. Women are doing fairly well in the legal arena. Although women in the legal profession are facing some obstacles, they are also performing their duties on an equal footing with men by tackling it.

Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury's father was former Justice ATM Masud. On August 22, 1981, she joined the Dhaka District Judge's Court. On September 21, 1983, she was enrolled as a lawyer in the High Court Division. She was enrolled as a lawyer in the Appellate Division on May 14, 1997. Following her success, she was appointed as additional judge of the High Court on February 19, 2002. Two years later, on February 19, 2004, she became a High Court judge.

After completion of LLB and LLM from Dhaka University, Justice Farah Mahbub joined the legal profession in the district court in 1992. She was enrolled as a lawyer in the High Court on October 15, 1994 and in the Appellate Division on May 15, 2002. On August 23, 2004, she was appointed as additional judge of the High Court. In 2006, she was appointed as a full-time judge in the High Court Division.

Justice Naima Haider studied law at Dhaka University. She also obtained advanced degrees in law from Columbia University, Southern University, Oxford University, Berkeley University and the University of London. She joined the legal profession in the district court in 1989. She was enrolled as a lawyer in the High Court in 1993 and Appellate Division in 2004. She was appointed as additional judge of the High Court on June 8, 2009. On June 8, 2011, she was appointed as a permanent judg of the High Court.

District and sessions judge Begum Fatema Najeeb was appointed on May 30, 2016 as additional judge of the High Court Division. On June 6, 2020, she was appointed as a permanent judge.

On October 20, 2019, Kazi Jinat Haque was appointed as an additional judge of the High Court. She has previously served as deputy attorney general and assistant attorney general for two terms.The appointment of Justice Krishna Debnath in Appellate Division is a reflection of the expansion of women empowerment in Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

 
Dr Jesmin Chowdhury is Editor-in-Chief of The Asian Age.