The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday adjourned till March 20 the hearing on a contempt rule issued by it against food minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque. The duo has been charged with making “highly contemptuous comments” against the judiciary. The SC asked both to appear in person before it on March 20 to explain their respective positions. Haque appeared before the apex court yesterday morning, as directed. Islam, who is abroad, sought a rescheduling of the hearing to any date after March 19. On Monday, the ministers filed two separate petitions before the SC, seeking to tender unconditional apologies for making the comments. The nine-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Surendra Kumar Sinha, passed the order after the ministers’ counsel, barrister Rafique-ul Islam and advocate Abdul Baset Majumder, prayed for an adjournment. Mamun Mahbub, one of the counsel for Islam, told reporters that his client is in Malaysia on a state visit and for medical treatment, and would appear in court any day after March 19. On March 8, the nine-member full bench of the Appellate Division had summoned the duo to appear in person before it at 9am on March 15 to explain why they had made the “highly contemptuous comments” against the judiciary. It issued a contempt of court rule, asking them to explain by March 14 why “they should not be prosecuted” for the offence. The court issued the suo motu order before it sat to deliver the verdict on the appeal of war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Mir Quasem Ali. On February 23, during the hearing on Quasem Ali’s appeal, the Chief Justice had expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the prosecution and the investigation agency in the case. In response, Qamrul Islam remarked that the Chief Justice “was speaking on the lines of the BNP-Jamaat and their lobbyists”. Mozammel Haque went further, saying that the Chief Justice should not deliver the verdict in the appeal of war criminal Quasem Ali.
Speaking at a discussion organised by the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee in the city, the food minister said on March 5 that the Chief Justice’s remarks in open court, during a recent hearing on Quasem Ali’s appeal against his death sentence, made it clear that there was no reason to sentence the accused to death. Quasem Ali would either be acquitted or his death sentence would be reduced to life term or the case would be sent for retrial, the food minister said. Qamrul stated that as a lawyer he felt that no justice could be expected from a bench chaired by the Chief Justice. He also demanded withdrawal of attorney general Mahbubey Alam from Mir Quasem’s appeal hearing. At the same event, Mozammel Huq said either the Chief Justice should withdraw his remarks or he should think whether it would be appropriate for him to continue as Chief Justice.