The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court in Chittagong has suspended proceedings following a heated dispute between a magistrate and the plaintiff’s lawyer during a case hearing.
The confrontation occurred on Tuesday around 12:30pm in the court of Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Oli Ullah, located on the second floor of the Chittagong court building, said A A M Humayun Kabir, deputy commissioner (Prosecution) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP).
Meanwhile, pro-BNP and pro-Jamaat lawyers staged a protest on the premises, demanding the removal of the magistrate involved in the incident.
AAM Humayun Kabir said: “The dispute arose between a Magistrate and the general secretary of the Bar Association over the filing of a case. Following the incident, magistrates from the CMM courts left their chambers.”
Chittagong court sources said that Magistrate Oli Ullah immediately informed the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate about the altercation and left the courtroom.
Subsequently, all 10 magistrates under the CMM’s jurisdiction vacated the courtroom in solidarity.
When asked to comment, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Ashraf Hossain Chowdhury Razzak, said that the argument began when they approached the court with a case application on behalf of Shoeb Imran, who had been injured in the Muradpur incident in Chittagong on July 17.
Razzak said: “The plaintiff still has bullet wounds on his back. I requested the court to record the case as an FIR at the police station. According to the procedure, the plaintiff took an oath and named 12-14 individuals as accused. However, the judge asked the plaintiff to identify all the accused by name.”
District Public Prosecutor (PP) Ashraf said that identifying all the accused would require time since their names had been determined after reviewing video footage.
Ashraf mentioned that it was unrealistic to expect the plaintiff to recall every name on the spot.
When he reiterated his request, the magistrate responded by insisting that Ashraf should allow him to do his job and subsequently ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation to look into the case.
Ashraf acknowledged the magistrate's decision, but the magistrate cautioned him not to try to pressure the court.
In response, Ashraf questioned where he had exerted any pressure.
Following this exchange, Magistrate Oli Ullah exited the courtroom and proceeded to the CMM’s office.
In response, all magistrates under the CMM’s jurisdiction also left their posts.
Meanwhile, pro-BNP and pro-Jamaat lawyers gathered on the second floor of the court building in front of the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court and began chanting slogans demanding justice.
Later, around 2pm, the protesting lawyers met Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rabiul Alam in his private chambers to discuss the situation.
Earlier, the Chattogram District Lawyers Association recently held elections in February, in which the pro-BNP lawyers Oikya Parishad panel won 13 posts, including the positions of president and general secretary.
Following the August 5 student protests, 346 new public prosecutors were appointed on Thursday, replacing the previous PP-APPs of the Chittagong court.
During this reshuffle, Md. Ashraf Hossain Chowdhury Razzak, the general secretary of the Bar Association, was appointed as the district PP.
