Law Minister Anisul Huq on Tuesday said the chief justice went on the leave for treatment as he was suffering from cancer and different other ailments.
He (CJ) mentioned about his disease in the letter sent to President Abdul Hamid, said the Law Minister during his briefing to the journalists at the Secretariat.
In response to queries regarding allegations that the chief justice was forced into leave, Minister Huq said it was “totally baseless” and that those “who want to hinder democracy” are claiming such.
However, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha goes on a month’s leave from today on health grounds.
Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, a senior judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, will discharge the responsibility of chief justice during the absence of Surendra Kumar Sinha.
Justice Sinha was appointed the 21st chief justice of the country in January 2015. He is scheduled to go into retirement on January 31 next year, said SC sources.
The apex court on August 1 released the full text of its verdict in the 16th amendment case, scrapping the constitutional amendment that had empowered parliament to remove SC judges for misconduct or incapacity.
Following the verdict, senior ministers came down heavily on the CJ, with many of them calling for his resignation.