AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik
{{Short description|Bangladeshi judge}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = TH Justice
| name = AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik kulangar
| native_name = এ.এইচ.এম শামসুদ্দিন চৌধুরী মানিক (দালাল মানিক / কালা মানিক)
| native_name_lang = bn
| office = Retired Judge of the Appellate Division of Bangladesh
| term_start =31 March 2013
| term_end =1 October 2015
| birth_date =
| nationality = Bangladeshi
British
| profession = Judge
| alma_mater =
| relatives = K. M. Shamsul Huda (brother-in-law)
}}
Abul Hossain Mohammed Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik is a retired judge of the Appellate Division of Bangladesh. He drew controversy after submitting verdicts in cases after his retirement, making questionable remarks on television as well as criminal misconduct.{{Cite web|title=No farewell to Justice AHM Shamsuddin Manik|url=https://www.observerbd.com/2015/09/18/111307.php|access-date=2021-12-29|website=observerbd.com}}{{Cite web |date=26 September 2012 |title=Plea to remove Justice Manik |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-251310 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}
Career
Mr Manik was born in Munshiganj (Bikrampur)
Manik started his legal career in 1978 as a lawyer in the Bangladesh High Court. He was appointed the deputy attorney general of Bangladesh in 1996. On 3 July 2001, he was appointed by the Bangladesh Awami League government to the Bangladesh High Court as an additional judge. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which came to power in 2001, did not confirm his appointment.{{cite news |last1=Moneruzzaman |first1=M |title=Justice Shamsuddin quietly retires |url=http://archive.newagebd.net/162373/justice-shamsuddin-quietly-retires/ |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=New Age |date=2 October 2015 |archive-date=3 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303094317/http://archive.newagebd.net/162373/justice-shamsuddin-quietly-retires/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |title=Justice Manik retires |url=http://www.theindependentbd.com/printversion/details/16357 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Independent |location=Dhaka}}{{cite news|url=http://www.theindependentbd.com/post/16069|title=Justice Shamsuddin Chy extremely wrongheaded person: BNP |work=The Independent |location=Dhaka |access-date=11 January 2019}}
On 2 March 2009, Manik was reinstated to the court, along with 11 other additional judges, following a High Court verdict in their favour. On 25 March, he was appointed as a full judge to the Bangladesh High Court by the Awami League government, which came to power in 2009. In 2012, the Jatiya Sangsad passed a unanimous resolution condemning Manik and accusing him of violating the constitution. Awami League leader, Tofail Ahmed, called him a sadist. He was accused of forcing traffic sergeants to do sit up while holding their ears in court for not saluting the car of a high court judge. He also accused Manik of forcefully sitting in business class seats when he bought economy class tickets through the misuse of his position.{{cite news |title=Ruling MPs demand removal of HC judge |url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2012/06/05/ruling-mps-demand-removal-of-hc-judge |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=bdnews24.com |language=en}} On 31 March 2013, he was promoted to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. He superseded 21 judges who were his senior. Mahmudur Rahman, the editor of Amar Desh, called for his removal.{{cite news |title=Plea to remove Justice Manik |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-251310 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=26 September 2012 |language=en}}
Manik retired on 1 October 2015. He was removed from the bench on orders from Surendra Kumar Sinha, Chief Justice of Bangladesh. He had secretly recorded a conversation between him and Sinha, and published the conversation in The Daily Janakantha. Supreme Court Bar Association in a vote decided against hosting a farewell for Manik, and the Attorney General Office also decided against a farewell ceremony. It was a departure from the tradition of holding farewell ceremony for retiring senior judges. The Bar accused Manik of not signing judgements or writing them, and sending 14 lawyers to jail.{{cite news |title=No farewell to Justice Shamsuddin Manik |url=http://www.observerbd.com/2015/09/18/111307.php |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Observer }} He sought the impeachment of Sinha from the President Abdul Hamid after he was removed him from the bench.{{cite news |title=Justice Manik seeks CJ's impeachment |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/country/justice-manik-seeks-cj%E2%80%99s-impeachment-142480 |access-date=11 January 2019 |date=13 September 2015}}
On 22 February 2016, SM Zulfiqur Ali, lawyer of the Supreme Court, filed a petition with Bangladesh High Court seeking a media gag order on statements by Manik. He accused Manik of undermining the judiciary of Bangladesh.{{cite news |title=Writ seeks bar on broadcasting Justice Manik's statement |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/online/writ-seeks-bar-broadcasting-justice-maniks-statement-576115 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=22 February 2016 |language=en}} The petition was rejected by the Bangladesh High Court.{{cite news |title=HC bins plea seeking bar on broadcasting Justice Manik's statement |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/country/hc-bins-plea-seeking-bar-broadcasting-justice-maniks-statement-660001 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=24 February 2016 |language=en}}
=Post retirement=
Manik submitted 65 orders and judgements after his retirement on 10 February 2016. According to him, he still had 20 judgements and orders pending. Justice Imman Ali was ordered to examine the judgements and Justice Md. Abdul Wahhab Miah was ordered to scrutinise them. Manik also faced criticism for holding a press conference on the Bangladesh Supreme Court premises on 1 October 2015, against rules of the court, where he asked the Chief Justice to accept pending judgements from him after retirement. The chief justice asked him to send all the judgements and documents to the Supreme Court's registrar general's office and not hold press conferences.{{cite news |title=Justice Manik submits 65 judgments, orders |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/justice-manik-returns-65-judgments-orders-214735 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=9 February 2016 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=CJ hopes Justice Manik will return files of pending verdicts |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/country/justice-manik-writes-cj-accept-judgments-written-after-retirement-213871 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=7 February 2016 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Return case files, don't talk to press |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/return-case-files-dont-talk-press-214267 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=8 February 2016 |language=en}}
On 28 April 2016, the Bangladesh Supreme Court decided to rehear 161 cases in which judgements were provided by Manik after his retirement. This was done following a judgement by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, that declared verdicts given after retirement were unconstitutional.{{cite news |title=SC to rehear 161 cases dealt with by Justice Manik |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/city/sc-rehear-161-cases-dealt-justice-manik-1216021 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=28 April 2016 |language=en}} He criticised Sinha after a dispute developed between the Government of Bangladesh and Sinha.{{cite news |title=News Analysis: Settling an old score? |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news-analysis-settling-old-score-1456510 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=31 August 2017 |language=en}} The Supreme Court ultimately decided to rehear only few of the 161 cases as necessary.{{cite news |title=SC won't rehear most of 168 settled cases |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/country/sc-wont-hear-most-168-cases-1218982 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=5 May 2016 |language=en}}
Manik was physically assaulted in Bethnal Green, London, in October 2015. His daughter, Nadia Choudhury, accused the attackers of being members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.{{cite news |title=Justice Manik comes under attack in London |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/city/justice-manik-comes-under-attack-london-161053 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=22 October 2015 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Pasha |first1=Syed Nahas |title=Former Supreme Court judge AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury attacked in London |url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2015/10/22/former-supreme-court-judge-ahm-shamsuddin-choudhury-attacked-in-london |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=bdnews24.com}} On 16 March 2017, a defamation case was filed against him following his criticism of Justice Sinha in the media. The case was dismissed by the court on 4 December 2017.{{cite news |title=Defamation case against retired Supreme Court judge Manik dismissed |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/court/2017/12/04/defamation-case-justice-manik-dismissed |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=Dhaka Tribune |date=4 December 2017}}{{cite news |title=Defamation case against Justice Manik dismissed |url=http://old.unb.com.bd/bangladesh-news/HC-dismisses-defamation-case-against-justice-Manik/57467 |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=United News of Bangladesh |date=4 December 2017 |language=en |archive-date=11 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111232848/http://old.unb.com.bd/bangladesh-news/HC-dismisses-defamation-case-against-justice-Manik/57467 |url-status=dead }} He is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Bangladesh. He taught constitutional law at the University of London.
In October 2021, Sarkar appointed a four-member team to manage {{ill|Evaly|bn|ইভ্যালি}}, an e-commerce site which was going through financial crises, led by Manik. But the committee led by him failed to do anything positive and significant.{{Cite web |title=HC forms a 4-member body to operate Evaly |url=https://m.daily-bangladesh.com/english/HC-forms-a-4-member-body-to-operate-Evaly/65070 |access-date=2022-02-23 |website=Daily Bangladesh |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=HC issues new directions regarding share of Evaly |url=https://www.risingbd.com/english/national/news/85229 |access-date=2022-02-23 |website=Risingbd |language=en}} The board resigned from Evaly in September 2022.{{cite news|url=https://www.jagonews24.com/en/national/news/63939|title=Justice Shamsuddin Manik-led board resigns from Evaly|date=20 September 2022|accessdate=2024-07-27|publisher=Jago News 24}}
In February 2022, Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar appointed Manik as the liquidator of Jubilee Bank.{{Cite web |date=3 February 2022 |title=HC orders liquidation of Jubilee Bank within 9 months |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/court/hc-orders-liquidation-jubilee-bank-within-9-months-366151 |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=Business Standard |language=en}}
In October 2023, Manik demanded the expulsion of US Ambassador Peter Haas accusing him for interfering in the country's internal affairs.{{Cite web |date=27 October 2023 |title=Ex-justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury demands expulsion of US Ambassador Peter Haas |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/ex-justice-shamsuddin-chowdhury-demands-expulsion-us-ambassador-peter-haas-727806 |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Business Standard |language=en}}
Controversies
In 2003, Manik accused traffic police officers of contempt of court for not saluting his car. The Inspector General of Bangladesh Police, Shahudul Haque, issued a rejoinder that said traffic police are under no obligations to salute anyone and they could do so if it was safe. Bangladesh High Court bench of Justice M A Matin and Justice Syed Refat Ahmed issued a contempt of court charge against Haque which automatically removed him from the post of Inspector General according to the law. The government of Bangladesh secured a presidential pardon that protected Haque's job.{{cite news |title=IGP and DMP commissioner get one-year fresh terms |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/04/01/d40401012020.htm |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=1 April 2004}}{{cite news |title=IGP fined Tk 2,000, faces jail in default |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/01/28/d4012801022.htm |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |agency=UNB |date=28 January 2004}}{{cite news |title=IGP guilty of contempt |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/12/08/d4120801011.htm |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=8 December 2004}}{{cite news |title=Govt, IGP both disregarded HC, rule of law |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/12/09/d4120901099.htm |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=9 December 2004}}{{cite news |last1=Ashraf |first1=Shamim |title=Govt yet to act on verdict against IGP |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/2004/12/09/d4120901066.htm |access-date=11 January 2019 |work=The Daily Star |date=9 December 2004}}
In 2012, Manik was accused of 29 allegations including buying three houses in London with a total of only 32,000 pounds and the source of the income was not disclosed. He had bought one more property which was not even disclosed in the tax records.{{Cite web |date=26 September 2012 |title=Plea to remove Justice Manik |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-251310 |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}
= Remarks on quota reform and non-cooperation movements =
In July 2024, Manik participated as a guest in the talk show To the Point on Channel i, which focused on the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement. During the discussion, he became agitated with the host, Dipti Chowdhury, and repeatedly expressed his anger towards her throughout the program. Before leaving the studio after the show, he referred to Chowdhury as a 'child of a Razakar'.{{cite web |title=২০২৪ সালে কোটা সংস্কার আন্দোলন বিষয়ে চ্যানেল আইতে আয়োজিত টকশোতে ক্ষিপ্ত শামসুদ্দিন চৌধুরী মানিক |url=https://www.ntvbd.com/bangladesh/news-1435909 |publisher=NTV |date=12 August 2024 |language=bn |access-date=12 August 2024}}{{cite web |title=টু দ্য পয়েন্ট অনুষ্ঠানে উপস্থাপিকাকে 'রাজাকারের বাচ্চা' বললেন মানিক |url=https://dailyinqilab.com/entertainment/dhallywood/674863 |website=Daily Inqilab |date=12 August 2024 |language=bn |access-date=12 August 2024}} In August 2024, a complaint was filed against Manik in a court in Noakhali for derogatory remarks against former President and Bangladesh Nationalist Party founder Ziaur Rahman, whom he called "a spy for Pakistan".{{Cite web |date=19 August 2024 |title=Ex-justice Manik sued over derogatory remarks on Ziaur Rahman |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/355335/ex-justice-manik-sued-over-derogatory-remarks-on |access-date=19 August 2024 |website=Dhaka Tribune |language=en}}
On 23 August 2024, He was apprehended by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) while attempting to flee to India through an illegal border crossing in Kanaighat, Sylhet Division. He was handed over to Kanaighat police in the early hours of 24 August.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/court/355953/ex-sc-judge-shamsuddin-manik-sent-to-jail|title=Ex SC judge Shamsuddin Manik sent to jail|website=Dhaka Tribune|date=24 August 2024}}{{Cite web |date=23 August 2024 |title=Justice Shamsuddin Manik held in Sylhet border area |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/justice-shamsuddin-manik-held-sylhet-border-area-3684761 |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}} In a court in Sylhet, Manik alleged that he had been robbed by his accomplices during the escape attempt.{{Cite web |date=24 August 2024 |title=Ex-SC justice Manik robbed, assaulted while trying to flee to India |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/355911/ex-supreme-court-judge-manik-assaulted-robbed-by |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=Dhaka Tribune |language=en}} As he was being brought to court for a hearing on 24 August, Manik was assaulted by angry agitators in the premise, resulting in him being hospitalised due a critical condition, including a ruptured testicle.{{Cite web |date=25 August 2024 |title=Former justice Manik admitted to ICU in critical condition |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/355994/former-justice-manik-admitted-to-icu-in-critical |access-date=2024-08-25 |website=Dhaka Tribune |language=en}}https://www.observerbd.com/news.php?id=486879
Personal life
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Manik, AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury}}
Category:People from Munshiganj District
Category:Academics of the University of London
Category:Bangladeshi emigrants to England