Nazmun Ara Sultana (born July 8, 1950) is the first woman in Bangladesh to serve as head of an Appellate Division bench in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the apex court that gives a final verdict in the country's judicial system. Sultana took the oath as the first female justice of the Appellate Division on February 23, 2011.[2][3] She went into retirement on July 7, 2017.[4][5][6]
Sultana was born in Moulvibazar in 1950. Her father was Abul Kashem Moinuddin. Her mother is Begum Rashida Sultana Din. She lost her father at the age of 11. She passed SSC exam from Vidyamoyee Govt. Girls' High School in 1965 and HSC exam from Muminunnesa Women's College in 1967. Sultana graduated from Ananda Mohan College. After that she complete her LLB from Momenshahi Law college, Maymenshing.[7][5]
Sultana joined the judicial service as a munsif on December 20, 1975, and was promoted to district and sessions judge on December 20, 1990. She passed Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) and joined as sub judge in 1975. She was appointed as additional justice in High Court on May 28 in 2000. Later She was appointed as permanent judge. Sultana is the founding president of Bangladesh Women Judges Association (BWJA). She is also an active member of International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) since its formation. She was selected as secretary of IAWJ for 2 consecutive terms of 4 years.[8]
Sultana is married to Kazi Nurul Hoque. They have two sons, Kazi Sanaul Hoque Upol and Ehsanul Hoque Surzo.[9][10]