July Revolution sought to purify, not overturn the constitution: Chief justice at Bay of Bengal Conversation
He concluded by saying that in an era defined by volatility, the judiciary’s steadiness, restraint, and integrity may ultimately serve as the nation’s most enduring source of stability.
Bangladesh's Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has said the July Revolution aimed to renew the country's engagement with the Constitution rather than overturn it, framing the civic uprising as a return to fairness, accountability, and public consent.
Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed made the remarks as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2025, organized by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) at a Dhaka hotel today (22 November). Addressing diplomats, researchers, and legal scholars, he described the July 2024 uprising as a constitutional awakening that reaffirmed the rule of law as the nation's moral foundation.
He said the movement did not seek to break from the Constitution but to purify engagement with it by compelling all institutions to act within principles of justice and legitimacy. Judicial reform and the post-revolution mandate. Reflecting on the judiciary's role during the transitional months of 2024, he said it remained the only fully functional constitutional organ at a time of national uncertainty.
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The courts, he noted, worked with humility and resolve, staying within the text of the Constitution while protecting rights, institutions, and citizens. He outlined key reforms initiated under the September 2024 Reform Roadmap. These include nationwide judicial roadshows, the revival of the Supreme Judicial Council, the correction of constitutional distortions linked to the 15th and 13th Amendments, and the operationalization of a judicial appointment collegium for transparency and consultation.
The chief justice underscored judicial diplomacy as a central theme of his address, calling it essential at a time when judiciaries around the world face crises of legitimacy and political pressure. Global disorder and the constitutional moment. He said the world is experiencing one of its most turbulent periods in recent decades, marked by crises in Gaza, Ukraine, the Sahel, and Myanmar.
These overlapping conflicts, he noted, have weakened long-standing global crisis-mitigation mechanisms. He warned that the weaponization of knowledge, through AI-generated disinformation and deepfakes, now directly threatens democratic deliberation.
In the Bay of Bengal region, he said, climate insecurity and rising sea levels are reshaping geopolitics with significant implications for borders, migration and regional security. These forces, he stated, form the strategic environment in which constitutional institutions must now operate.
The chief justice said judicial diplomacy has moved beyond protocol. Bangladesh's engagements with the United Kingdom, the European Union, UNDP, GIZ, and Unicef have provided methodological support, while newer dialogues with Brazil, Egypt, Nepal, and South Africa have offered lessons on judicial reform during political transitions.
Preparing for a reimagined future amid ongoing speculation about political and constitutional restructuring, he urged the judiciary to stay grounded in principle and be prepared for whichever path the sovereign people choose. He reaffirmed the Basic Structure doctrine as the judiciary's guiding principle in maintaining separation of powers, judicial independence, democratic governance, fundamental rights, and popular sovereignty.
Each ruling of the past year, he said, should be viewed as a seed for long-term institutional reform.
He concluded by saying that in an era defined by volatility, the judiciary's steadiness, restraint, and integrity may ultimately serve as the nation's most enduring source of stability.
