President Abdul Hamid accepted the resignation of Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha on Monday evening.

The Bangabhaban yesterday forwarded the relevant file to the law ministry for the next course of action, the president's Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin told The Daily Star.

He said the resignation was effective from November 10, the day the letter was signed. It reached Bangabhaban, the official residence of the president, through the Bangladesh High Commission in Singapore, he added. 

Joynal could not say anything about the reason Justice Sinha mentioned in the letter for his decision to step down or whether the president has taken any initiative to appoint a new chief justice.

Contacted, Law Secretary ASSM Zahirul Haque Dulal told this correspondent that the file regarding the resignation reached his office.

Asked, he could not immediately say what would be the next course of action as he was out of the office yesterday.

On Saturday, the minister told this correspondent that Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, the senior most judge of the Appellate Division after Justice Sinha, would continue to carry out the responsibility of the chief justice, under Article 97 of the constitution until a new chief justice was appointed.

The appointment of the chief justice is an absolute prerogative of the president under the constitution, he added.

Amid flak from the ruling quarters over different issues including the 16th amendment verdict, Justice Sinha, now abroad, sent his resignation letter to the Bangabhaban on November 10.