Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha has resigned after going abroad on 'sick' leave following criticisms over his verdict on the 16th amendment that scraps Parliament's powers to impeach judges.
The president’s office received the letter of resignation, said Press Secretary to the President Md Joynal Abedin on Saturday. Appointed in January 2015, Sinha's tenure was supposed to end on Jan 31, 2018.
Rumours of his tendering resignation to the president started going the round since Friday, when his 39-day leave ended, with some TV outlets reporting it but the government was 'tight-lipped.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam had several times ruled out the possibility of Sinha returning as chief justice. He explained that his colleagues 'do not want to work with him' upon graft allegations against him.
Chief Justice Sinha went to office on August 24 for the last time before the apex court started its annual vacation. The government had declared his 'sick’ leave on October 3, a day before the holiday ended.