Is Abdul Wahhab Miah going to replace President Shahabuddin?

 
Storms over alleged illegal wealth belonging to President Mohammed Shahabuddin have meanwhile hit social media platforms. Allegations have surfaced that Mohammed Shahabuddin has amassed an enormous magnitude of assets in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. In the middle of these severe complaints, speculations are becoming louder that Mohammed Shahabuddin may step down from the President post anytime. After former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha's departure, then Senior Judge Md. Abdul Wahhab Miah of the Appellate Division assumed the responsibility of Acting Chief Justice. However, just two and a half months into this role, on February 2, 2018, the government appointed Syed Mahmud Hossain as the 22nd Chief Justice of Bangladesh. On that same day, Wahhab Miah resigned from his position as a judge of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division.

According to reliable sources, this former Acting Chief Justice Md. Abdul Wahhab Miah of the SC's Appellate Division may be assigned to hold the country's President post. Administrative sources have implied that President Mohammed Shahabuddin is likely to resign any moment. In such cases Md. Abul Wahhab Miah is very much under consideration of the interim government to replace Mohammed Shahabuddin.

Wahhab Miah was listed as an advocate in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court in 1976. Later, during the Awami League administration, he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court Division of the Appellate Division on October 24, 1999. On October 24, 2001, he was elevated from an extra judge to a permanent judge of the High Court Division. Subsequently, he assumed the role of a judge of the Appellate Division on February 23, 2011. Due to the leave and resignation of former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, he served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh until February 2, 2018.

In the ruling on the abolition of the caretaker government system, most judges in the Appellate Division had ruled against it. Still, Justice Wahhab Miah had expressed support for retaining the caretaker government. During the announcement of the death penalty for Abdul Quader Molla for war crimes, Justice Wahhab Miah was the only judge to express dissent.

After the dramatic situation in which Justice S.K. Sinha went abroad on leave, Justice Wahhab Miah was responsible for the duties. Subsequently, after accepting Justice Sinha's resignation in November, the President instructed Justice Wahhab Miah to continue in the role.

After Justice Sinha went on leave, a Supreme Court statement quoted the Appellate Division judges under Justice Wahhab Miah's leadership as stating that they did not wish to work with him due to allegations of corruption against him.

During Justice Wahhab Miah's tenure, the tension between the judiciary and the government over the disciplinary regulations for subordinate court judges was resolved. Justice SK Sinha had previously raised concerns, complaining that the government was attempting to control the judiciary.