Pro-Awami league and 14-party alliance lawyers yesterday demanded all High Court benches sit for judicial functions during the opposition-imposed blockades.
They urged the Chief Justice to take necessary steps in this regard, claiming the destructive programmes of the opposition were being observed to save the war criminals and delay proceedings in their trials.
Usually, the judges at the High Court do not sit for sessions during a blockade or hartal while the Appellate Division does.
On November 26, pro-opposition lawyers allegedly obstructed an HC bench from leaving the courtroom during a blockade enforced by the 18-party alliance.
Meanwhile, processions and counter processions centring on the blockade were seen at the Supreme Court premises yesterday. Both sections shouted slogans to each other.
Though the apex court sat for session yesterday, it could not hear the appeals of two war criminals and death row convicts, Delawar Hossain Sayedee and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed.
Argument staging in Jamaat leader Sayedee’s case has not started yet, as the reading out of the main documents of the war crimes tribunal were not completed and the defence does not appear during hartals or blockades.
On the other hand, the defence has not lodged any concise statement of appeal of Mujaheed, secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, though they were ordered to file it by November 21. Meanwhile, they lodged an application seeking more time to file the concise statement.
The war crimes tribunal awarded death penalties to Delowar Hossain Sayedee on February 28 while to Ali Ahsan Mujaheed on July 17. They have both appealed with the Appellate Division against the judgements.