The High Court on Tuesday banned a government law officer from appearing in courts for 20 days for making contemptuous remarks on social media against a judicial officer following an altercation in courtroom.
The bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil also asked Jahirul Islam Palash, law officer of the Khulna Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2, to appear before the bench again on June 10 to attend further proceedings in the contempt ruling issued by the HC against him on April 3.
The High Court also decided to hear expert opinions of several senior lawyers as amici curiae to dispose of the contempt ruling against Jahirul Islam, who was appointed as聽 a public prosecutor by the ruling Awami League government.
The HC passed the order after rejecting Jahirul鈥檚 prayer seeking apology for the incident with judicial officer Tariqul Islam posted as a metropolitan magistrate at the Khulna chief metropolitan magistrate鈥檚 court.聽聽聽聽聽聽
Jahirul appeared before the High Court responding to the contempt ruling issued against him after the HC took into cognisance magistrate Tariqul鈥檚 complaint to the chief justice on March 31.
The High Court in the ruling asked Jahirul to explain in four weeks why he would not be prosecuted and punished for the contempt of the court by making contemptuous remarks against the magistrate on the facebook page of First NewsBD24 on March 25.
The magistrate filed a complaint with the chief justice seeking action against the public prosecutor for making libelous statements against him and his family members.聽
Jahirul Islam made the libelous remarks after magistrate Tariqul Islam on March 25 felt embarrassed to hear Jahirul鈥檚 private case and sent it to the chief metropolitan magistrate for disposal by another magistrate.
Complainant Tariqul Islam said that he had sent Jahirul鈥檚 case to the CMM in the interest of justice following an altercation with him.
The altercation erupted when Tariqul allegedly kept the hearing of Jahirul鈥檚 case waiting, while he was busy with other cases.聽聽聽聽聽聽
The public prosecutor defamed the magistrate and his family members intentionally through the social media despite the senior lawyers resolved the聽聽 matter immediately in courtrooms, the complainant said.
Lawyer Sayed Ahmed Raza appeared for the public prosecutor, while deputy attorney general Kazi Mynul Hassan assisted the High Court.