Mohammed Shahabuddin was on Monday sworn in as the 22nd President of Bangladesh in a ceremony at Bangabhaban. Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the oath at 11 am. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, cabinet members and scores of distinguished guests attended the event. Family members of the new president, including his wife Dr Rebecca Sultana, attended the function. Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, members of the parliament, chief election commissioner, Supreme Court judges, and political leaders, chiefs of the three services, diplomats, senior journalists, and high-ranking civil and military officials witnessed the event. Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain conducted the programme. Shahbuddin succeeds Md Abdul Hamid whose second successive term ended on Sunday. Shahabuddin (73) was elected as president unopposed on February 13 this year as a candidate of the ruling Awami League. Also read: Xi Jinping sends letter to Shahabuddin, stands ready to work with the Bangladeshi president During his student life, he served as an activist and president of Pabna Chhatra League and later took over the responsibility of Pabna Jubo League as its president. In 1971, he was the convenor of Swadhin Bangla Chhatra Sangram Parishad of Pabna and also actively participated in the Liberation War. He was imprisoned following the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975. He was later appointed as the Law Ministry's coordinator in the Bangabandhu assassination case. In 1982, he joined the BCS (Judicial) Department, and in 1995, he was elected general secretary of the Judicial Service Association. He also served as the chairman of the Judicial Inquiry Commission, which investigated murders, rapes, thefts and other crimes by BNP-Jamaat alliance's activists and leaders following the 2001 general election. Also read: Md Shahabuddin declared President-elect of Bangladesh He also worked as a district and sessions judge before retiring in 2006. He was a commissioner at the Anti-Corruption Commission from 2011 to 2016. Shahabuddin's wife, Rebecca Sultana, is a former joint secretary of the government.

People from all walks of life brought out a joyous procession in Pabna district town at ruling party Awami League's nomination of Md Shahabuddin Chuppu, a proud son of the soil, as the 22nd president of Bangladesh. The nomination leaves only the formality of the retired judge being declared as president on February 19th, the date set for the presidential election, with no other candidates in the fray. District unit Awami League organised the procession in the morning from the Awami League office which ended at the same place after parading different important places. They also distributed sweets among the local people including rickshawpullers, van pullers and shopkeepers. Also read: Profile of Md Shahabuddin Rezaul Rahim Lal, President of the district unit Awami League, said: “It’s a great day for Pabna residents.” He also thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for providing a party ticket to Shahabuddin as the next president of the country. Md Shahabuddin was born in Pabna in 1949 and was one of the first members of Pabna district Chhatra League, Awami League’s student wing. He would eventually become the unit’s president. In 1971, he was the convenor of the Swadhin Bangla Chhatra Sangram Parishad in Pabna, and took part in the Liberation War. Read More: Md Shahabuddin set to become next President of Bangladesh He became the president of the Pabna district Jubo League in 1974. He was imprisoned for three years following the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975. He was later appointed as the Law Ministry’s coordinator in the Bangabandhu assassination case. In 1982, he joined the BCS (Judicial) Department, and in 1995, he was elected General Secretary of the Judicial Service Association. He served as the chairman of the Judicial Inquiry Commission, which investigated murders, rapes, thefts, and other crimes by BNP-Jamaat alliance’s activists and leaders following the 2001 general election. Read More: ‘Everything is Allah’s will’: Md Shahabuddin, set to become next President of Bangladesh