Breaking the 26-year-long tradition, lawyers of Chittagong courts agreed yesterday to participate in court activities during hartal hours from today.
The decision came after a meeting between present and former presidents and general secretaries of the Chittagong BAR Association, and different political party-supported lawyers, at the BAR association’s office in the afternoon.
“We have decided to take part in court activities from 2pm till 5pm during hartal hours, and the decision about court activities will remain effective continually,” said Chittagong Bar Association President Advocate Md Mujibul Haque.
All senior lawyers, beyond their ideologies, also agreed to attend court activities during hartal, he said.
Earlier in the morning, the two groups of lawyers had brought out a procession and counter-procession at the Chittagong court building over the issue.
At one stage, around 11am, the two groups engaged in shoving match, creating a tense situation among the lawyers that lasted nearly one-and-a-half hours, said court sources.
The practice by lawyers of boycotting court activities during hartal has continued in Chittagong courts since 1989, during HM Ershad’s rule.
The pro-BNP-Jamaat and pro-AL lawyers had been demonstrating and holding rallies in support of and against the tradition, respectively, for over a month, after the ongoing hartal enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance began.
Due to this hartal, judicial activities of thousands of cases, which were pending in 76 courts in Chittagong, had piled up, said court sources.