Former acting President and Speaker of Parliament Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar passed away early Sunday while undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital. He was 95.
He breathed his last at 4:18am at Bangladesh Specialized Hospital in Shyamoli, Supreme Court Bar Association President Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon said.
"Sir has left us. Arrangements are being made for his janazas and burial," Khokon said.
He said Jamir Uddin Sircar had been suffering from various age-related health complications for a long time.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said Jamiruddin Sircar's first namaz-e-janaza will be held after Zohr prayers at Taqwa Mosque in Dhanmondi, followed by a second janaza at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban at 5:00pm.
He is survived by a daughter Nilufar Jamir and two sons, Barrister Muhammad Nawshad Jamir and Naoufel Jamir. His eldest son Nawshad Jamir is the current MP elected from Panchagarh-1 with BNP ticket.
A veteran politician and distinguished lawyer, Jamiruddin Sircar served as Speaker of the Eighth Jatiya Sangsad and as acting President of Bangladesh from June 21 to September 6, 2002, following the resignation of then President Prof AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury.
Born on December 1, 1931, in Nayabari village of Tetulia upazila in Panchagarh, Jamiruddin Sircar was the son of Maulvi Muhammad Aziz Box.
He obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees in History from the University of Dhaka before earning an LLB degree. He later qualified as a Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln's Inn in London.
After completing his studies, he joined the legal profession on May 27, 1960, enrolling with the then East Pakistan High Court. He became one of the country's leading constitutional, civil and criminal law experts.
Jamiruddin Sircar began his political career in 1945 through the then Student Federation. He was later associated with the Student Union, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani's National Awami Party (NAP) and was also a founding member of the Awami Muslim League.
He was one of the founding members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Before the party's formation, he was also associated with the Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal (Jagadal), established by former President Ziaur Rahman. He later became a member of the BNP Standing Committee, a position he held until his death.
During the Liberation War in 1971, Jamiruddin Sircar was among the High Court lawyers who actively supported Bangladesh's independence.
Recognised for his legal expertise, he represented Bangladesh at the United Nations General Assembly on five occasions between 1977 and 1981 during President Ziaur Rahman's tenure.
His long public career included several ministerial positions. He served as state minister for housing and public works under President Ziaur Rahman, during which the construction of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban was completed.
He later served as state minister for foreign affairs in the cabinet of President Justice Abdus Sattar.
Following the BNP's victory in 1991, he became state minister for land before being appointed education minister and later science and technology minister.
In the short-lived Sixth Parliament in 1996, he served as law minister and introduced the bill that paved the way for the caretaker government system.
Jamiruddin Sircar was first elected to Parliament in 1979 from Dinajpur-1 as a BNP candidate. He was later elected from Dhaka-9 in 1991, from Panchagarh-1 in the elections of February 1996, June 1996 and 2001, and subsequently won the Bogura-6 by-election during the Ninth Parliament.
Apart from politics and law, he was also an educationist and a prolific writer. His published works include The Origin and Evolution of Democracy, Parliamentary Rules at a Glance, Student Life in London, Law of the Sea, Student Movements in London, Bangladesh: Democratic Transition and Political Ups and Downs, Glimpses of International Law, From Pol Raj to Plassey and From the British Raj to Bangabhaban, Speaker in the Eighth Parliament, Law of International Rivers and Other Watercourses, and Stronger United Nations for a Peaceful Welfare World.
His death cast a shadow of grief over the country's political and legal communities, with leaders and well-wishers gathering at his Dhanmondi residence to pay their respects.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep sorrow at his death and prayed for the eternal peace of his departed soul.