Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar

Barrister Muhammad Jamir Uddin Sarkar
মুহম্মদ জমিরুদ্দিন সরকার
File:Jamiruddin Sarkar...1 (cropped2).jpg Sarkar in 2023
Acting President of Bangladesh
Acting 21 June 2002 – 6 September 2002
Prime Minister	Khaleda Zia
Preceded by	A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury
Succeeded by	Iajuddin Ahmed
10th Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad
In office 28 October 2001 – 25 January 2009
Deputy	Akhtar Hameed Siddiqui
Preceded by	Mohammad Abdul Hamid
Succeeded by	Mohammad Abdul Hamid
Minister of Law and Justice
In office 19 March 1996 – 30 March 1996
Prime Minister	Khaleda Zia
Preceded by	Mirza Golam Hafiz
Succeeded by	Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed
Minister of Education
In office 19 September 1991 – 19 March 1996
Prime Minister	Khaleda Zia
Preceded by	A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury
Succeeded by	ASHK Sadek
Member of the Bangladesh Parliament for Panchagarh-1
In office 14 July 1996 – 27 October 2006
Preceded by	Mirza Ghulam Hafiz
Succeeded by	Mazharul Haque Prodhan
Personal details
Born	(1931-12-01) 1 December 1931 Tentulia, Bengal Presidency, British India
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Party	Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Spouse(s)	Nur Akhtar ​ ( 2023)​
Alma mater	University of Dhaka

Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar (Bengali: মুহম্মদ জমিরুদ্দিন সরকার, romanized: Jamiruddin Sarkar Bengali pronunciation: [ˈd͡ʒɑmirʊdːin ˈʃɔrkɑr]; 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. 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. He also established Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar Collegiate Institute in Panchagarh in 1990.

Early life

Sircar was born on 1 December 1931 to a Bengali family of Muslim Sircars in the village of Nayabari in Tetulia, Jalpaiguri district, Bengal Presidency (now in Panchagarh District, Bangladesh). He was the son of jotedar Moulvi Ali Baksh and stay-at-home mother Begum Fakhrunnessa. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master of Arts degrees in history from the University of Dhaka. Later he got an LL.B degree 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 called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn.

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 of the Bangladesh government for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he travelled to the UN to deliberate on the 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 the Bangladesh Nationalist Party from Panchagarh-1 in the general elections of 1996 and 2001 and from Dhaka-9 in the by-election of 1991 in the seat of Begum Khaleda Zia. He lost the election in December 2008. He was elected to 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.

From 28 October 2001 to 25 January 2009, Sircar served as the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad. 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. He faced criticism for being partisan in allocating seats in the parliament. In 2008, his defence of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and call for its return to power drew criticism. The Daily Star wrote that the speaker should be above the political fray.

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. On 8 November 2012, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed charges against him, alleging he misappropriated 3.3 million taka. Sircar moved the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, and the proceedings were stayed. Thereafter, the Appellate Division passed an order to dispose of Sircar's judicial review applications before the High Court Division. In March 2023, he deposited Tk 2.8 million (27.86 lakh) to the state exchequer following a court judgment in the graft case.

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

Personal life

Sircar was married to Nur Akhtar (c. 1939–2023). Together they have a daughter, Nilufar Jamir, and two sons, Nawshad Zamir and Naufal Zamir. Apart from his political life, he was the founder of the Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar Collegiate Institute in his birthplace, Panchagarh.

Bibliography

• Glimpses of International Law (1997);
• The Law of the Sea (2003);
• Stronger United Nations for Peaceful Welfare World (2003);
• London-er Chatro Andolon Bangla (2005);
• London-e Bondhu Bandhob Bangla (2006);
• Oshtom Shongshoder Speaker Bangla (2006);
• Pal Raj theke Plolashi ebong British Raj theke Bongo Bhobon Bangla (2006).
• Law of the International Rivers and others Water Courses (2007);
• Pakistan-er Gonotontrer Biporjoy ebong Shadhin Bangladesh-er Obbhuddoy Bangla (2008)

References

Footnotes

Citations

External links

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