Dhaka-The Supreme Court adjourned on Sunday the hearing until March 27 on the contempt rule against two ministers for their controversial comments about Chief Justice SK Sinha in connection with the war crimes case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali.
A seven -member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice SK Sinha, fixed the fresh date after the hearing on a court order which asked Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq to appear before it on the day with their explanations.
The court rejected the explanation of Qamrul and accepted Mozammel’s explanation partially, said Syed Mamun Mahbub, a lawyer of Qamrul.
The court also asked Qamrul to give the explanation again during the next hearing.
Qamrul Islam and AKM Mozammel Huq appeared before the court around 9am.
Earlier, on March 15, the SC ordered the two ministers to appear before it on March 20 (today).
On March 14, ministers Qamrul Islam and Mozammel Huq offered unconditional apology to the court for their remarks.
They begged the pardon in separate applications submitted to the SC through their lawyers.
Qamrul also filed a petition with the SC seeking time to appear before it as he was in Malaysia to attend a conference.
Earlier on March 8, the Supreme Court summoned the two ministers to appear before it on March 15 for their reactions to reported remarks of Chief Justice SK Sinha about prosecution as regards the trial of Jamaat leader Mir Quasem Ali in a war crimes case.
The court then ordered them to explain their comments before it by March 14.
Ministers Qamrul Islam and Mozammel Huq demanded resignation of the Chief Justice for his reported remarks that “the prosecution is doing politics with the trial of condemned war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali”.
During the hearing of arguments on Mir Quasem Ali’s appeal petition on February 23, the Chief Justice purportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the activities of the prosecution and the investigation agency.
