Abdul Baset Majumder, the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, has died at the age of 83.
The veteran lawyer breathed his last at around 8:15 am on Wednesday while undergoing treatment at United Hospital in Dhaka, his son Advocate Saeed Ahmed Raja said.
Majumder had also served as the vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Bar Council and was a member of Awami League's advisory council.
He was suffering from various age-related complications, including spine problems. He was admitted to the hospital on Oct 23 due to lung complications, reports bdnews24.com.
Raja said his father was taken to the ICU on Oct 24 after suffering a heart attack.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain have expressed grief over the death of Majumder.
Majumder’s namaz-e-janaza will be held after the Zuhr prayers on Wednesday at the Supreme Court premises, said his son.
Later, his body will be taken to his village home in Cumilla. He will be buried in the family graveyard after another namaz-e-janaza.
Majumder was born on Jan 1, 1938 in the village of Shanichon in Lalmai upazila of Cumilla district.
After obtaining a law degree from Dhaka University, he joined the legal profession and got enlisted as a lawyer in the Dhaka High Court in 1967.
TRIAL PROCEEDINGS SUSPENDED AT LOWER COURTS
Lower courts in Dhaka have suspended trial proceedings to mourn the death of Majumder.
As a result, the verdict in a case against Shafat Ahmed, the son of an Apan Jewellers co-owner, and four others over the alleged rape of two university students at the Raintree Hotel in Dhaka will not be delivered on Wednesday.
"The Dhaka Bar Association is mourning the death of senior lawyer Majumder. The trial proceedings of the lower courts will be suspended today to show respect to him,” Additional Public Prosecutor Tapash Kumar Pal said.