Lawyers ‘shout’, ‘shove’ in High Court during ex-chief justice Khairul’s bail hearing

The scuffle breaks out as Khairul’s lawyer objects to the deputy attorney general’s statement in court

Lawyers have “shouted” and “shoved” each other at the High Court during the bail hearing of former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque in a July Uprising murder case.

The incident occurred on Monday in the court of Justice Zakir Hossain and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja.

Amid the chaos, the court scheduled the next hearing for Sunday.

The commotion erupted when Deputy Attorney General Russell Ahmed told the court that the state had sought a week’s time for the hearing.

Khairul’s lawyer Mohsin Rashid objected, saying: “You cannot direct the court in this way.”

This led to shouting and shoving between lawyers from both sides.

The judges tried to calm the situation before adjourning the hearing.

Khairul Haque served as chief justice from Oct 1, 2010 to May 17, 2011. His bench delivered the verdict that scrapped the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which declared the caretaker government system illegal.

After retirement, he was appointed chairman of the Law Commission in July 2013, with several extensions to his tenure.

He resigned on Aug 13, 2024, after the fall of the Awami League government during the July Uprising, and faced multiple lawsuits afterwards.

On Jul 24, detectives arrested him in his Dhanmondi home. He was shown arrested in Jubo Dal activist Abdul Kaiyum Ahad’s murder in Jatrabari and sent to jail the same day.

On Jul 29, he was also shown arrested in a case filed in Narayanganj’s Fatullah over allegations of issuing an “illegal” verdict and judgement.