The Chattogram Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Tuesday suspended its proceedings following a heated dispute between a magistrate and a plaintiff鈥檚 lawyer during a hearing in a case over violence during the anti-discrimination student protests.
The confrontation occurred at about 12:30pm in the court of Chattogram metropolitan magistrate Oli Ullah, said Chattogram Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner AAM Humayun Kabir.
Humayun Kabir said, 鈥楾he dispute arose between a magistrate and the general secretary of the Bar Association over filing of a case. Following the incident, magistrates from the CMM courts left their chambers.鈥�
Chattogram court officials said that magistrate Oli Ullah immediately informed the chief metropolitan magistrate about the altercation and left the courtroom.
Later, all 10 magistrates under the CMM鈥檚 jurisdiction vacated the courtroom expressing their solidarity with聽聽 Oli Ullah, they added.
The plaintiff鈥檚 lawyer, Ashraf Hossain Chowdhury Razzak, said that the argument began when they approached the court with a case application on behalf of Shoeb Imran, who had been injured in the Muradpur incident in Chattogram on July 17.
鈥楾he plaintiff still has bullet wounds on his back. I requested the court to record the case as a first information report of the police station. According to procedure, the plaintiff took an oath and named 12-14 individuals as accused. The judge, however, asked the plaintiff to identify all the accused by name,鈥� said Ashraf.
District public prosecutor Ashraf also said, 鈥業 pointed out that identifying all the accused would require time as their names were determined after reviewing video footage. It is unrealistic to expect the plaintiff to recall every name on the spot. When I reiterated the request, the magistrate told me to let him [magistrate] do his job.鈥�
The magistrate then ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation to investigate the case, Ashraf said, adding, 鈥業 accepted his decision.鈥�
Then the magistrate asked Ashraf not to try to pressure his court, Ashraf said, adding, 鈥業 then replied that I had not exerted pressure.鈥�
Following this exchange, Magistrate Oli Ullah got exited in the courtroom and proceeded to the CMM鈥檚 office. In response, all magistrates under the CMM鈥檚 jurisdiction also left their courts.
Pro-BNP and pro-Jamaat lawyers, meanwhile, gathered on the second floor of the court building in front of the Metropolitan Magistrate鈥檚 Court and began chanting slogans demanding justice.
Later, at around 2:00pm, the protesting lawyers met with chief metropolitan magistrate Rabiul Alam in his private chamber to discuss the situation.
Earlier, the Chattogram District Lawyers Association held elections in February, in which the pro-BNP lawyers鈥� Oikya Parishad panel won 13 posts, including the president and general secretary.
Following the August 5 student-led mass uprising, 346 new public prosecutors were appointed on October 17, replacing the previous PPs and APPs of the Chattogram court.
During this reshuffle, Md Ashraf Hossain Chowdhury Razzak, the general secretary of the Bar Association, was appointed as the district PP.
