Contempt rule, summons issued against 2 ministers

- Contempt rule against Qamrul, Mozammel

- Summoned before the court on Mar 15

- Explanation sought from both by Mar 14

The Supreme Court today issued a contempt rule against food and liberation war affairs ministers for diatribes against Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque have been asked to explain by March 14 as to why “they should not be prosecuted for their highly contemptuous comment”.

They have been asked to appear before the court on March 15.

A nine-member full bench of the Appellate Division came up with the suo motu order before it sat for delivering the appeal verdict of war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali.

For twice, Qamrul and Mozammel criticised the chief justice after he, during appeal hearing of Quasem on February 23, expressed dissatisfaction over the poor performance of prosecutors and investigators in dealing with war crimes cases.

READ MORE: Diatribes against CJ continue

Minister Qamrul alleged the chief justice was openly speaking in the language of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and their lobbyists. The other minister went even further to say that the chief justice should not be delivering the verdict in the appeal of war criminal Quasem.

READ MORE: PM disowns comments against CJ

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, yesterday in the cabinet meeting, slammed the two ministers for such comments and said she and her government would not own such comments.