Judge-lawyer arguments halt Ctg court proceedings

Judge thinking. Wikimedia Commons.

A heated argument between a judge and a group of lawyers led to halt judicial proceedings at Chattogram Metropolitan Courts today, with all magistrates leaving the court around Tuesday noon.

The incident occurred in the court of Second Metropolitan Magistrate Wali Ullah at approximately 12:00pm on Tuesday, when Chattogram District Bar Association General Secretary and Public Prosecutor Ashraf Hossain Razzak engaged in a verbal altercation with the judge during a case hearing. Following the argument, the Magistrate walked out of the courtroom.

According to witnesses, tensions arose when Razzak submitted a complaint against 126 individuals on behalf of his client, Soaibul Haque Chowdhury. The case was related to an alleged assault, shooting, and beating of protesters during the July 17 mass uprising on the day of Ashura.

During the hearing, Magistrate Wali Ullah asked the complainant to recall and name several of the accused people. Soaibul Haque was able to name five to seven individuals but struggled to provide further details.

Razzak intervened, requesting that the complaint be treated as an FIR and insisting that his client would not name any more accused individuals. The Magistrate, however, decided to assign the case to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) for further investigation.

The exchange between Razzak and the Magistrate escalated, with Razzak objecting to the PBI investigation and demanding that the complaint be treated as an FIR.

Witnesses reported that heated words were exchanged, leading to the Magistrate walking out of the courtroom.

Following the judge’s departure, lawyers staged a demonstration outside the courtroom, chanting slogans and calling for the Magistrate’s removal.

It has been learned that no judges were seen in the Metropolitan Courts until around 2:30pm on Tuesday, and judicial proceedings were suspended during that period.

Speaking to reporters, Razzak denied the allegations of misconduct, saying, “The Judge asked us to name all 126 accused and wanted detailed accounts of what they had done. We provided footage as evidence and requested an order. The court refused, and we informed him we would appeal to a higher court. He then made offensive remarks before leaving the courtroom.”

CDBA President Advocate Nazim Uddin later claimed that Metropolitan Sessions Judge Jakir Hossain had assured the lawyers that Magistrate Wali Ullah would be placed on leave.

Attempts to reach the Magistrate or Administrative Officers for comment were not possible, as phone calls were not received.

Proceedings in Chattogram Metropolitan Courts remain disrupted till completing this story. - Special Correspondent