Bangladesh Statue of Justice controversy is a controversy that surrounds the building of a
Statue of justice in
Bangladesh Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সুপ্রীম কোর্ট) is the highest court of law in Bangladesh. It is composed of the High Court Division and the Appellate Division, and was created by Part VI C ...
premises. Islamic groups like
Hefazat-e-Islam and
Bangladesh Awami Olama League have protested the statue and have taken
legal actions calling for its removal.
Background
Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country with a legal system based on
English common law. Bangladesh has seen rising tension between the religious hardliners and secularist supporters. A statue of Justice was erected in the premises of the Bangladesh Supreme Court by the Government. The Statue was that of
Themis or
Lady Justice, ancient Greek
Titaness
In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Ga ...
and the personification of Justice and the goddess of wisdom and good counsel.
The Statue has blindfolds, is holding a sword, and wearing a
Sari. The Sari is a local variation, the statue is usually wearing a gown.
Opposition and lawsuits
On 24 February 2017 thousands of Muslims protested in
Dhaka against the statue. Supporters of Hefazat-e-Islam marched from the national mosque,
Baitul Mukarram
Baitul Mukarram, also spelled as Baytul Mukarrom ( ar, بيت المكرّم, bn, বায়তুল মোকাররম; ), is the National Mosque of Bangladesh. Located at the center of Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, the mosque was comple ...
, after Friday prayers. A similar rally was held at the same time in
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
, the second largest city in Bangladesh. Hefazat later submitted a petition to the Supreme Court to demolish it, which was supported by the
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
affiliated
Bangladesh Awami Olama League and an online news editor. They called it conspiracy to undermine Islam in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister of Bangladesh supported calls to remove the Statue of justice in Bangladesh Supreme Court with some people saying the government was bowing down to the pressure of those who have used religion for political ends.
Support
The Supreme Court officials defended the statue as a symbol of Justice. The Dhaka Tribune wrote an article defending the statue. The Daily Star defended the statue and pointed out that only 7 percent of the Judges are female. The Hellenic-Indian Society (ELINEPA) in Athens described the statue of Themis as a symbol of justice and secularism in Bangladesh.
2017 removal
On 26 May, the Lady Justice statue was completely removed at 2am after a court decision and taken away by a truck at around 4am. Two days later, the statue was reinstalled in place a few hundred meters from its original location.
The order was given from the Supreme Court, and the difference was stated to be one where the statue was on display (initial location) and one where it was inside and therefore not 'on focus'.
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Islamism in Bangladesh