The New Nation - Internet Edition

A section of lawyers led by the Supreme Court Bar
Association observing court boycott programme (left) at the
Appellate Division while lawyers led by Khandoker Mahbub
Hossain, Vice-President of the Bangladesh Bar Council,
attended the function of the cou

Staff Reporter

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) yesterday observed 2-hour court boycott programme in protest against what it called a series of 'highly controversial' rulings of the court that validated the unassailable Emergency Power Rules (EPR) in denial of the right to bail of an accused facing trial under the EPR

However, a group of general lawyers attended the court ignoring the boycott call of the SCBA earlier.

The boycott programme partially disrupted the proceedings of the Appellate Division since many of lawyers did not take part in the court proceedings.

According to sources in the apex court, a total of 36 applications, mostly National Board of Revenue (NBR) and customs cases, were on the cause list for hearing yesterday.

Of them, 25 applications were heard but no verdict was delivered, the sources said. The court fixed new dates for hearing on the applications, as the lawyers for the opposite sides refrained from attending the court proceedings.

Following the programme, SCBA president Barrister Shafique Ahmed told reporters that the court-boycott programme was successfully observed by the lawyers at the call of the association.

He termed yesterday's cause list manipulated alleging that it was prepared for accommodating the state attorneys in a bid to foil the boycott programme.

The bar leader said those lawyers who at the behest of a vested quarter acted against the unanimous decision of the SCBA would come under a close scrutiny and disciplinary action would be taken against them after an inquiry.