The High Court (HC) on Monday issued a ruling asking two leaders of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami why it should not be treated as contempt of court that they called a countrywide shutdown, rejecting its verdict that declared the party's registration illegal.
The HC vacation bench, comprised of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain, passed the suo moto order after taking into congnisance some recent newspaper reports.
The party's acting secretary general Rafiqul Islam Khan and Central Publicity Department chief Mohammad Ibrahim were asked to appear before the court on September 16 to explain their remarks against the verdict in a party statement.
The party issued the statement on August 1, signed by the two leaders, calling a 48-hour strike beginning from August 12.
The court also wanted to know why action should not be taken against them on charges of contempt of court.
The Jamaat statement alleged that the verdict went against people's basic rights. "We will continue our movement against this unconstitutional and undemocratic ruling," it said.
In the statement, Jamaat leader Rafiqul Islam rejected the "wrong" court verdict.
"The verdict reflects the government's political motives," the statement said.