Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem
{{Short description|President of Bangladesh (1975-1977)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem
| native_name = {{nobold|আবু সাদাত মোহাম্মদ সায়েম}}
| image =
| image_size = 200px
| office = 6th President of Bangladesh
| primeminister = None
| term_start = 6 November 1975
| term_end = 21 April 1977
| predecessor = Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad
| successor = Ziaur Rahman
| office2 = 1st Chief Justice of Bangladesh
| term_start2 = 12 January 1972
| term_end2 = 6 November 1975
| predecessor2 = Position established
| successor2 = Syed A. B. Mahmud Hossain
| birth_date = {{birth date|1916|3|29|df=y}}
| birth_place = Rangpur, Bengal, British India (now Rangpur, Bangladesh)
| death_date = {{death date and age|1997|7|8|1916|3|29|df=y}}
| death_place = Dhaka, Bangladesh
| party = Awami League
| alma_mater = {{ubl|Presidency College, Calcutta|University of Calcutta}}
| president2 = {{ubl|Abu Sayeed Chowdhury|Mohammad Mohammadullah|Sheikh Mujibur Rahman|Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad}}
| primeminister2 = Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Muhammad Mansur Ali
| caption = President Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem
| termstart1 = 6 November 1975
| termend1 = 29 November 1976
| successor1 = Ziaur Rahman
| president1 = Himself
| predecessor1 = Khaled Mosharraf
| office1 = 2nd Chief Martial Law Administrator of Bangladesh
}}
Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem{{efn|{{langx|bn|আবু সাদাত মোহাম্মদ সায়েম|Abu Sādāt Mohammad Śāyem}} {{IPA|bn|ˈabu ˈsɑd̪at ˈmoɦɑmmɔd ˈʃɑjem|}}}} (29 March 1916 – 8 July 1997) was a Bangladeshi jurist and statesman. He was the first Chief Justice of Bangladesh from 1972 to 1975. He became the president of Bangladesh in the aftermath of counter-coups in November 1975. He held post of Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA). Sayem presided over a cabinet headed by the three chiefs of the armed forces. The cabinet included civilian technocrats and politicians. Sayem resigned on grounds of ill health in April 1977, and was replaced by Ziaur Rahman.
Early life
Sayem was born on 29 March 1916 in Rangpur district, Bengal Presidency, British India. He attended the Rangpur District School and Carmichael College. He later attended Presidency College in Calcutta and graduated from the University Law College of Calcutta University.{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Sayem, Justice Abusadat Mohammad}}
Career
Sayem started working as an advocate at the Calcutta High Court in 1944. After partition of India in 1947, he moved to Dhaka, East Bengal, Pakistan. He joined the newly established Dhaka High Court. He joined the law firm Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq as a junior advocate. He was elected secretary of Dhaka High Court Bar Association. He was later elected vice president of the Bar association. He was a member of the East Pakistan Lawyers’ Association. He would be elected Secretary, Secretary General, and the vice-president of the East Pakistan Lawyers’ Association.
Sayem was also elected to the local board of the State Bank of Pakistan. He was appointed judge in the Dhaka High Court on 3 July 1962. He served in the Commission of Enquiry for finding out the causes of exodus and eviction of the members of the minority community in 1967. In 1970, he was appointed to the Delimitation Commission responsible for the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies. He was appointed to the Election Commission.
In 1971, Bangladesh became an independent country following the Bangladesh War of Independence. On 12 January 1972, Sayem was made the Chief Justice of the Bangladesh High Court. On 17 December 1972, he was made the Chief Justice of Bangladesh following the creation of Bangladesh Supreme Court. He gave the verdict on the important Berubari Case concerning the exchange of enclaves between Bangladesh and India.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/pick-the-week/we-the-people-1309363|title=We, the people|date=3 November 2016|work=The Daily Star|access-date=21 July 2018|language=en}}
Sayem assumed the office of President and Chief Martial Law Administrator on 6 November 1975 following the 3 November 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état by Brigadier General Khaled Mosharraf. On 29 November 1976, he removed himself from the office of the Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA) and was replaced by Major General Ziaur Rahman, Chief of Army Staff. Zia had pressured him into resigning from his role as CMLA, with the support of the other service chiefs, Deputy Army Chief General Ershad, General Manzur and General Mir Shawkat Ali.{{Cite book |last=Mascarenhas |first=Anthony |title=Bangladesh: a legacy of blood |date=1986 |publisher=Hodder and Stoughton |isbn=978-0-340-39420-5 |location=London}} On 21 April 1977, he resigned from the presidency of Bangladesh on health grounds. Major General-later Lieutenant General Ziaur Rahman eventuallly succeeded him as the president of Bangladesh.{{Cite news|url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/09/07/bnp-founder-gen-zia-s-independence-award-removed-from-national-museum|title=BNP founder Gen Zia's Independence Award removed from National Museum|access-date=21 July 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/april-22-1977-forty-years-ago-4622941/|title=April 22, 1977, Forty Years Ago|date=22 April 2017|work=The Indian Express|access-date=21 July 2018|language=en-US}}
Death
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{commons-inline}}
{{Presidents of Bangladesh}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayem, Abu Sadat Mohammad}}
Category:Awami League politicians
Category:Supreme Court of Bangladesh justices
Category:Presidents of Bangladesh
Category:University of Calcutta alumni
Category:Chief justices of Bangladesh