Lawyers scuffle during the bail hearing of ex-CJ Khairul Haque

Two groups of Supreme Court lawyers yesterday scuffled at High Court during the hearing of a bail petition filed by former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque in a murder case.

The incident, which lasted around 10 minutes, caused pandemonium in a courtroom of the HC bench comprising Justice Md Zakir Hossain and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja after 3:00pm.

Angry lawyers shouted at each other, demanding opponents leave the courtroom.

Several senior lawyers including MK Rahman, Md Mohsen Rashid, Mohammad Munsurul Hoque Chowdhury, ZI Khan Panna, Qumrul Haque Siddique and Md Motaher Hossain Sazu appeared for Haque.

Deputy Attorney Generals Md Rasel Ahammad and Md Imran Khan, along with Assistant Attorney Generals Md Uzzal Hossain, Muhammad Safwan and Md Jasim Uddin represented the state.

Advocate MK Rahman placed the petition before the bench.

DAG Rasel Ahammad requested a week's time for hearing, saying that Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman would present the state's arguments.

MK Rahman argued that Haque, who retired a decade ago, had been detained on July 24 in a murder case filed a year earlier.

He condemned the treatment Haque received, including being brought to court with his hands tied behind his back, and criticised the judiciary's silence on the matter.

Mohsen Rashid, another lawyer for Khairul, urged DAG Rasel not to dictate the court and highlighted the humiliation faced by Haque.

"Insulting judges has become a trend in South Asia," he said.

A government-backed lawyer held Haque responsible for the judiciary's decline and the killing of around 1,500 people.

This statement was opposed by lawyers supporting Haque, leading to shouting, chaos and scuffle despite repeated requests from the judges to calm down.

Justice Haque was arrested on July 24 from a house in Dhaka's Dhanmondi by the detectives in connection with the murder of 16-year-old Jubo Dal activist Abdul Kaiyum Ahad, killed in Jatrabari on July 18 last year.