Scuffle at Bar as pro-BNP lawyers boycott SC

Scuffles took place among the lawyers on the Supreme Court (SC) premises on Wednesday as pro-BNP lawyers locked the main gate of the apex court as part of their political programme to boycott the courts protesting the increased punishment of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.
However, both the Appellate Division and High Court Division of the Supreme Court ran their regular judicial functions
as usual, despite the court boycott programme of BNP lawyers.
The appellate bench of seven judges headed by the Chief Justice Khondokar Mahmud Hasan started regular court proceedings at 9am. The lawyers, including the attorney general, were present at the time.
Supreme Court Bar Association President Advocate Zainul Abedin and Secretary Barrister KM Mahbubuddin Khokon began the boycott programme around 9:00am. As part of their demonstration they locked the SC's main gate. The demonstration ended at 1:00pm.
Pro-BNP lawyers demonstrated at the Supreme Court Bar Association in front of the SCBA president's room against verdict on Khaleda Zia.
After the Appellate Division started its daily work, BNP activists locked a Supreme Court gate on the second floor of the building as part of their protests.
As the protests continued, the Awami League-allied lawyers led by Bar Council Vice-Chairman Muhammad Yusuf Hussain Humayun went to the second floor of the court building to break the gate open around 10:30am.
As tensions spread, the warring lawyers ended up in fistfights.    "The Supreme Court Bar Association has turned into a political platform. If you want to challenge the verdict, you will have to do it through the legal means. The decision to boycott the court is not a decision by the lawyers' association," said Yusuf Hussain Humayun.
"Khaleda Zia's lawyers may boycott the court, but they should not force other lawyers to participate in the protests by locking the gate. We must break the lock open," he said.
During the protests, Supreme Court Bar Association President Zainul Abedin claimed that the general lawyers voluntarily joined the court-boycott and locked the gate.
"The government is controlling trial courts and is now trying to influence the higher court as well. If the government's intervention in the judiciary does not stop, we will expand the boycott nationwide," he added.
Former General Secretary of Supreme Court Bar Council SM Rezaul Karim denounced the boycott of SC by pro-BNP lawyers, terming at as a programme contrary to the constitution of bar council.
He said, "They (pro-BNP lawyers) selected Supreme Court as their last refuge to implement their political agendas and save their corrupt leaders. This programme is not for the wellbeing of lawyers or bar council, it is only for their political purpose."