SC instructs to strictly follow HC directives over rallies on court premises
Staff Reporter :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday again asked the lawyers to strictly follow the 2005 High Court directives that prohibited them from holding assemblies and bringing out processions on the court premises.
A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the order, while holding hearing a contempt of court petition against seven pro-BNP lawyers.
The apex court fixed November 15 for further hearing and passing order on the petition.
In the order, Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan said, “We were four judges on that day, but today we are not four.
We are adjourning it (hearing of the application). The order that was given on that day is still in force and will continue.
All of you will abide by it. We have not yet issued the notice (for contempt of court). We will decide on this on November 15. The hearing is adjourned until this time.”
In a verdict in 2005, the High Court bench of Justice Abdul Matin and Justice AFM Abdur Rahman issued a guideline in holding rallies at the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, anti-government lawyers, including the pro-BNP ones, had been holding rallies on the apex court premises in the last couple of days demanding resignation of two Appellate Division judges who allegedly violated their oath by making political statements while addressing a discussion marking the National Mourning Day on August 15.
In this circumstance, Md Nazmul Huda, a pro-Awami League SC lawyer, on August 29 filed a contempt of court petition with the Appellate Division accusing seven pro-BNP lawyers. The petition came for hearing on August 30.
The apex court on August 30 asked the lawyers to strictly follow the High Court directives over holding assemblies and bringing out processions on the court premises. At the same time, the apex court fixed October 19 for holding hearing on the petition.
Nazmul Huda submitted the petition through his lawyer Nahid Sultana Juthi to the apex court praying to it to draw contempt of court proceedings against the seven lawyers and to punish them for their comments.
The seven pro-BNP lawyers— Kayser Kamal, AJ Mohammad Ali, Fahima Nasrin Munni, Abdul Jabbar Bhuiyan, Ruhul Quddus Kazal, Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman Khan and Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal.
They at the press conference demanded that the two SC judges be kept away from discharging judicial functions. They said otherwise they would demand the judges’ resignations, according to the contempt of court petition.
