Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal stands as one of Bangladesh’s prominent Supreme Court advocates and a leading figure within the country’s pro-BNP legal community. He serves as General Secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum’s Supreme Court unit and as a member of the BNP’s National Executive Committee — a dual role that places him at the intersection of law and politics, where he wields considerable influence in both arenas. 
Legal Career and Practice
Sajal builds his reputation as a skilled courtroom advocate at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, appearing in high-profile matters across the High Court Division and the Appellate Division. As senior counsel, he argues complex cases involving constitutional rights, religious offences, and individual liberty, consistently pressing courts to scrutinise evidence rather than accept prosecutorial narratives at face value.
He regularly represents some of Bangladesh’s most prominent political figures. He appears for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia alongside senior lawyers Zainul Abedin, Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, and Barrister Kaiser Kamal in High Court proceedings to quash fabricated cases against her.
He also acts as one of the lawyers for BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, filing bail petitions at the High Court on his behalf when the lower courts refuse relief.
He appears for accused BNP members in hearings for anticipatory bail petitions at the High Court, often working alongside fellow pro-BNP lawyers to secure relief for opposition activists facing what the party describes as politically motivated cases.
In constitutional matters of national importance, he argues in support of writ petitions challenging the legality of the Referendum Ordinance 2025 and the July National Charter (Constitution Amendment) Implementation Order, 2025, pressing the High Court to declare them unconstitutional — demonstrating that his advocacy extends well beyond partisan defence work and into the realm of fundamental constitutional law.
Role in the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum
Sajal plays a central organisational role in the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum (BJAF), the principal lawyers’ forum aligned with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He regularly speaks at press conferences, rallies, and programmes held at the Supreme Court Bar Association, giving voice to the legal and political concerns of the opposition.
At forum press conferences, he joins BJAF President AJ Mohammad Ali, former SCBA secretaries Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Md Bodruddoza Badal, and Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal to allege that thousands of opposition leaders and activists face arrest in fabricated cases, demanding their immediate release and the withdrawal of such proceedings.
He speaks at BJAF programmes demanding the removal of trial jurisdictions of courts that sentence political opponents, and calls for judgments against those who have died or become victims of enforced disappearance in false cases to be rescinded.
He actively participates in the strategic planning of BJAF’s Supreme Court unit, including the selection and finalisation of the unit’s panel for Supreme Court Bar Association elections, helping to shape the pro-BNP legal bloc’s electoral strategy.
Contempt of Court Proceedings
Sajal’s outspoken advocacy at times draws the direct attention of the apex judiciary. He joins six other pro-BNP lawyers who, at a press conference, demand that two Supreme Court judges be kept away from discharging judicial functions, warning that they would otherwise demand the judges’ resignations — remarks that prompt a contempt of court petition.
The Appellate Division issues a notice and summons order against Sajal and six colleagues for making “slanderous, derogatory and contemptuous” comments about the two apex court judges. He navigates the proceedings alongside his fellow lawyers, with Senior Advocate Zainul Abedin representing the group before the court.
Advocacy Under Political Pressure
Sajal repeatedly demonstrates his willingness to speak out even when doing so invites legal risk or confrontation. He denies allegations of vandalism levelled against pro-BNP lawyers and firmly contests claims made against him in cases arising from tensions at bar association premises.
When a politically controversial figure arrives at the Supreme Court premises, Sajal publicly confronts the situation, telling the media: “I told his junior that I am not going to meet someone who is a betrayer.” His directness, whether in court or in public, defines his approach as a lawyer who refuses to separate his legal work from his political convictions.
Legacy and Standing
Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal carves out a distinct identity in Bangladesh’s legal landscape — a Supreme Court advocate who combines courtroom skill with political commitment. He defends political prisoners, challenges constitutional overreach, fights for bail for hundreds of opposition activists, and speaks fearlessly at press conferences even under judicial scrutiny. His career reflects a broader truth about legal practice in Bangladesh: that for many lawyers, the courtroom and the political arena are not separate stages, but a single battlefield for the rule of law.
About the Author
