Food Minister Qamrul Islam has offered unconditional apology before the Supreme Court for his "contemptuous" comment regarding Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

He tendered the apology before the court through an application where he urged to reschedule the contempt rule's hearing date to any day after March 19 as he is abroad now.

File photo of Food Minister Qamrul Islam.

During the appeal hearing of war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem, the chief justice slammed the prosecutors and their investigation agency for poor performance.

In response, Minister Qamrul criticised the chief justice for this comment. Another minister, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, went further to say that the chief justice should not be delivering the verdict in the appeal of war criminal Mir Quasem.

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

Qamrul's lawyer Mamun Mahbub told The Daily Star that his client would appear before the court any day after March 19 for the contempt rule hearing as he is in Malaysia now for a state visit and medical treatment.

The nine-member full bench of the Supreme Court headed by chief justice SK Sinha on March 8 issued a contempt of court rule against the two ministers for their comments. 

The food minister and the liberation war affairs minister were asked to explain by March 14 as to why "they should not be prosecuted for their highly contemptuous comment" and asked to appear before the court on March 15.