Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar Explained

Honorific Prefix:Barrister
Muhammad Jamir Uddin Sarkar
Native Name Lang:bn
Office:President of Bangladesh (acting)
Primeminister:Khaleda Zia
Term Start:21 June 2002
Term End:6 September 2002
Predecessor:A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury
Successor:Iajuddin Ahmed
Office2:10th Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad[1]
Deputy2:Akhtar Hameed Siddiqui
Term Start2:28 October 2001
Term End2:25 January 2009
Predecessor2:Mohammad Abdul Hamid
Successor2:Mohammad Abdul Hamid
Office3:Minister of Law and Justice
Term Start3:19 March 1996[2]
Term End3:30 March 1996
Primeminister3:Khaleda Zia
Predecessor3:Mirza Golam Hafiz
Successor3:Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed
Office4:Minister of Education
Primeminister4:Khaleda Zia
Term Start4:19 September 1991
Term End4:19 March 1996
Predecessor4:A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury
Successor4:ASHK Sadek
Constituency Mp5:Panchagarh-1
Parliament5:Bangladesh
Term Start5:14 July 1996
Term End5:27 October 2006
Predecessor5:Mirza Ghulam Hafiz
Successor5:Mazharul Haque Prodhan
Birth Date:1931 12, df=yes
Birth Place:Tetulia, Bengal, British India (now Panchagarh Rangpur Division, Bangladesh)
Party:Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Alma Mater:University of Dhaka
Nationality:Bangladeshi

Muhammad Jamiruddin Sarkar (born 1 December 1931) is a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician who served as the acting President of Bangladesh in 2002. He served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh.[3] He is one of the founding members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and was a member of the standing committee, which was the policy making body of the party, from its inception.

Early life

Sircar was born to Moulvi Ali Baksh and Begum Fakhrunnessa in Panchagarh in north Bengal.[4] He obtained his M.A and LL.B degrees from the University of Dhaka and joined the bar to practice law in 1960. He left for London in 1961 for the degree of Barrister-at-Law and was admitted and called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, to practice law as a member of the English Bar as well as Commonwealth Countries Bar.

Career

Sircar went on the Supreme Court of Bangladesh to work as a Lawyer in constitutional, civil and criminal laws. In 1977, he was selected by the then President Ziaur Rahman as a member of the Bangladesh Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. As a delegate he looked after the Legal Committee and continued in this role for the next four years between 1977 and 1980. In 1981, as a State Minister ofBangladesh Government for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he travelled to the UN to make deliberation on Middle East peace process and disarmament. He later attended the Non-aligned Movement's Labor Ministers Conference in Baghdad. He was elected to the Parliament as a candidate of Bangladesh Nationalist Party from Panchagarh-1 in the General Election of 1996 & 2001and from Dhaka-9 in the by-election of 1991 in the seat of Begum Khaleda Zia.[5] [6] He lost the election in the December 2008.[7] He was elected in Parliament in a by-election from Bogra-6 on 3 April 2009. Bogra-6 was vacated, along with Bogra-7, by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.[8]

From 28 October 2001 to 25 January 2009, Sircar served as the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad.[9] On 21 June 2002, he became acting president because of the resignation of A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury. He remained acting president until a new president was elected on 6 September 2002. As speaker he refused to allow discussion on the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack in Parliament.[10] He faced criticism for being partisan in allocating seats in the parliament.[11] In 2008, his defence of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and call for it return to power drew criticism. The Daily Star wrote that the speaker should be above political fray.[12]

On 13 April 2009, an Awami League led parliamentary probe body reported that Sircar took 2.7 million taka unlawfully as medical bill without the permission of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during his tenure as speaker of the parliament.[13] On 8 November 2012, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against him, alleging he misappropriating 3.3 million taka.[14] Sircar moved the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and the proceedings were stayed and thereafter the Appellate Division passed an order to dispose off Sircar's judicial review applications before the High Court Division [15] In March 2023, he deposited Tk 2.8 million (27.86 lakh) to the state exchequer following a court judgment in the graft case.[16]

In 2018, Sircar worked as the defense lawyer of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.[17]

Personal life

Sircar was married to Nur Akhtar (–2023).[18] [19] Together they have a daughter, Nilufar Jamir and two sons, Nawshad Zamir and Naufal Zamir.[4]

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Former Presidents . Bangabhaban . https://web.archive.org/web/20080103023353/http://www.bangabhaban.gov.bd/jamiruddin.html . 3 January 2008 . 9 April 2011.
  2. Web site: Honorable Minister . Law and Justice Division . 5 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180122041816/http://www.lawjusticediv.gov.bd/static/minister_rt_live_bak_law.php . 22 January 2018 . dead .
  3. News: Parliament To Probe Sircar . Bangladesh News . 17 March 2009 . 12 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120306074420/http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/2009031610706/country/parliament-to-probe-sircar.html . 6 March 2012 . dead .
  4. Web site: Biography of Barrister Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar. Jamiruddin Sircar. 6 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171021030456/http://public.jamiruddin.com/biography.php. 21 October 2017. dead.
  5. Web site: List of 5th Parliament Members . Bangladesh Parliament . bn.
  6. Web site: Parliament Election Result of 1991, 1996, 2001 Bangladesh Election Information and Statistics. . Vote Monitor Networks. https://web.archive.org/web/20081222053944/http://votemonitor.net/bangladesh/EADetails_1991_1996_2001.php?EA=1. 22 December 2008. 11 February 2018. dead.
  7. News: Strip Sircar of MP status. 2009-05-06. The Daily Star. 2018-07-26. en.
  8. News: Sircar, Moudud win by-polls. 2009-04-03. The Daily Star. 2018-07-26. en.
  9. News: All-party body to probe Sircar graft. 2009-03-20. The Daily Star. 2018-07-26. en.
  10. News: Farewell Mr. Sircar. 2009-01-27. The Daily Star. 2018-07-26. en.
  11. News: Let there be rule of law. 2009-02-06. The Daily Star. 2018-07-26. en.
  12. News: Speaker ought to be above the fray. 2008-10-15. The Daily Star. 2018-07-26. en.
  13. News: Sircar drew Tk 28 lakh illegally, finds JS probe. 2009-04-13. The Daily Star. 2018-07-26. en.
  14. News: Sircar charged. 2012-11-08. The Daily Star. 2018-07-26. en.
  15. News: SC asks HC to dispose of defence petitions . The Daily Star . 29 May 2014.
  16. Web site: 2023-03-14 . Jamiruddin Sircar deposits Tk 2.8m to govt treasury in graft case . 2023-08-27 . Prothomalo . en.
  17. News: 'ACC totally fails to prove graft allegations against Khaleda'. 2018-01-11. The Daily Star. 2018-07-26. en.
  18. Web site: 2023-05-02 . ব্যারিস্টার জমির উদ্দিনের স্ত্রী আর নেই, বিএনপির শোক . 2023-08-27 . banglanews24.com . bn.
  19. Web site: Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar's wife Begum Nur Akhter passes away. 2023-08-27 . Daily Sun . May 2023 . en.
  20. Web site: Publications. public.jamiruddin.com.