Barrister Abdur Razzaq, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, passed away on Sunday (May 4) while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. He was 75.

His junior lawyer, Shishir Monir, confirmed that Razzaq breathed his last at 4:10 PM.

After living in the United Kingdom for 11 years, Razzaq returned to Bangladesh on December 26 last year and resumed his legal practice at the Supreme Court. 

His juniors honored him with a reception at the Supreme Court Bar Association on January 6.

Razzaq, a former assistant secretary-general of Jamaat-e-Islami, left for the UK on December 18, 2013, after defending top Jamaat leaders in war crimes cases at the International Crimes Tribunal. While in the UK, he resigned from Jamaat on February 15, 2019, citing political differences.

Later, he joined the newly formed Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party as its chief advisor but resigned from the position on August 17 following a shift in political power.

On returning to Bangladesh, Razzaq said he would focus solely on legal practice, aiming to serve the country through the judiciary.

Born on December 31, 1949, in Sylhet's Beanibazar, Razzaq earned BA and MA degrees before obtaining his barrister degree from Lincoln's Inn in the UK in 1980. He practiced law in London until November 1985 before returning to Bangladesh.

He joined the Bangladesh Bar in 1986, enrolled in the High Court Division in 1988, and became an Appellate Division lawyer in 1994. In 1990, he founded "The Law Counsel," a legal firm, and was recognized as a senior lawyer in the Appellate Division in 2002.

Razzaq is survived by two sons and one daughter. Both of his sons are barristers practicing law in the Supreme Court.

MSK/