The Supreme Court on Thursday debarred two lawyers from conducting any case in the Appellate and High Court Divisions for the next four weeks on charges of making 'derogatory statements' in a letter sent to Chief Justice (CJ) Obaidul Hassan.
The apex court also asked the lawyers to give a written explanation on their roles in regards to the letter within this time and ordered them to appear before it on February 8.
Earlier in the day, the two lawyers -- Mohsen Rashid and Ahmed Badal -- appeared before a four-member bench of the Appellate Division in compliance with its summons order.
Senior lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali sought time on behalf of Mohsen Rashid and Ahmed Badal from the court for giving explanation.
On January 3, the apex court summoned them over their letter to the CJ, informing him of their court boycotting programme.
Rashid, convener of an "adhoc committee" of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), and its member secretary Badal, were asked to appear before the Appellate Division bench around 9:00am on January 11 to explain their roles in the issuance of the letter.
The CJ said in the order that "the letter contains some derogatory statements which prima facie appears to be anti-state and demeaning the prestige, position and dignity of the judiciary as a whole".
Rashid and Badal submitted the letter to the SC Registrar General's office on January 1 about a court-boycott programme and it was placed before the CJ the next day.
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