DHAKA: The High Court Tuesday dismissed a case facing 12 pro-Awami League and leftist lawyers for vandalizing the Supreme Court, a charge that stood in the way of one of them being sworn in the bench.

A division bench of Justice Shamsul Huda and Justice Abu Bakar Siddique passed the crucial order.

Supreme Court lawyer Omar Sadat filed the case against them on December 5, 2006 for allegedly running amok on the precincts of the highest court on November 30.

The incident happened centering a writ order given by the court on the validity of the then president Iazuddin Ahmed as chief adviser of caretaker government amid a political deadlock over general election.

The lawyer of the accused appealed for withdrawing the case on March 16, 2007 and the High Court issued a rule on April 4, 2007 asking why the case ‘should not be dismissed’.

Now the court gave the order after the hearing on the rule. Advocate Mahmudul Islam conducted the case on behalf of the defendant while Mohammad Bashirullah for the state.
 
The accused were Dr. Kamal Hossain, Barrister Amirul Islam, Barrister Rokon Uddin Mahmud, Subrata Chowdhury, Subrata Saha, Barrister Tania Amir, Khasruzzaman, Enayetur Rahim, Mamun Mahbub, Mohammad Suhrawardy, Sheikh Ashfafur Rahaman and Khairul Alam Pipul.

Khasruzzaman is among a group of lawyers recently appointed additional judges of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, but he was not administered oath by the Chief Justice in the face of an outcry by the opposition lawyers.

Of the same group, another lawyer, Ruhul Quddus Babu, also could not be sworn in for his complicity in a different case involving the murder of a Shibir leader.          

BDST: 2019HRS. May 25, 2010
JA/TSA/MMA/MUA