Senior Supreme Court lawyer and former attorney general Rafique-ul Huq died of old-age complications on Saturday at a city hospital.
He was 85.
Ad-Din Hospital and Ad-Din Women Medical College Hospital public relation officer Tabibur Rahman said that Rafique died at 8:30am on Saturday.
Tabibur disclosed that Rafique, also chairman of Ad-Din Women Medical College, was admitted to the hospital on October 16 as he had no urine output, had infection in the urinary tract and suffered from old-age complications.
Rafique was put on life support on October 21.
Rafique earned reputation particularly when he conducted the cases filed against both jailed Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia and Awmai League president Sheikh Hasina, now the prime minister, during the two-year military-backed regime in 2007–08.
Rafique was buried beside his wife Farida Huq at the Banani graveyard in the capital at 3:00pm. Farida, a former microbiologist at BIRDEM General Hospital, died on January 7, 2011.
He left behind his son Faheemul Huq, also a lawyer, and a grandchild, staying in Canada, more than 40 juniors in the court, many students as a Dhaka University law teacher, and 20 charity institutions to which he donated funds to mourn his death.
A jurist on matters related to banking and financial institutions and firms, Rafique also worked as an office-bearer of various charity and other institutions, including the BIRDEM hospital, Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Ahsania Mission Cancer Hospital, Jatir Pita Bangabandhu School and College in Gazipur.
People from all walks of life paid their last tribute to the eminent legal expert during his first namaz-e-janaza on the Ad-Din Hospital and Women Medical College Hospital premises, second at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque and the last at the Supreme Court Bar Association premises.
On behalf of the president and the prime minster their military secretaries, representatives on behalf of the BNP Chairperson, the chief justice, the mayor of Dhaka South city, the attorney general and the president and secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association, among others, placed floral wreaths on Rafique’s coffin on the SC premises.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attended the first namaz-e-janaza.
Rafique was last seen on a wheel-chair in 2019 on the Supreme Court compound where he practiced for 56 years. He had been staying with his employees at his wife’s house at Purana Paltan in the capital.
Rafique was the country’s sixth attorney general who served from April 7, 1990 to December 17, 1990.
He enrolled as a lawyer at the Calcutta High Court in 1960, joined the Dhaka High Court in 1962 and the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1965. He became a senior SC lawyer in 1975.
Rafique started practicing law as a junior to renowned barrister Asrar Hossain when he joined the Dhaka High Court Bar.
He also taught law at Dhaka University in late 1960s.
Rafique was born on November 2, 1935 at Subarnapur in Calcutta.
He obtained his bachelor and master’s degrees in philosophy from Calcutta University in1955 and 1957 respectively and a law degree from the same university in 1958. He became a barrister-in law in 1961and was called to the Society of Lincoln’s Inn in 1962.
Rafique received many awards, including Mother Teresa Gold Medal Award given by the US senate and the Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah Gold Medal.
Chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and law minister Anisul Huq expressed condolences at the death of the legendary lawyer.
Prime minister’s adviser on private sector industry and investment Salman Fazlur Rahman MP, inspector general of police Benzir Ahmed and Rapid Action Battalion’s director general Chowdhury Abdullah-Al Mamun and Gono Bishwabidyalay in separate messages also expressed their condolences at the death of Rafique-ul Huq.
People from all walks of life place wreaths on the coffin of Rafique-ul Huq on the Supreme Court premises in Dhaka on Saturday. — New Age photo