CJ, judges leave courtroom during Mahbub Uddin's statement

The Appellate Division bench, headed by the Chief Justice, left the court bench as Supreme Court Bar Association President Mahbub Uddin Khokan raised the issue of an order directing a lawyer to pay Tk 500,000 in legal costs.

This incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the courtroom of the Appellate Division (Courtroom-1).

Following this, the court did not reconvene, as reported by sources from the Supreme Court administration.

Later, Supreme Court Bar Association President and senior lawyer AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon told journalists, "In the case listed as item number one in the Appellate Division, a female lawyer was fined a sum of Tk 500,000 in costs. After the completion of case number 13 (item) in the Appellate Division’s list, I politely mentioned to the Chief Justice that since you became Chief Justice, there haven't been many cases in the Appellate Division."

Noting that lawyers' incomes have decreased, Mahbub Uddin Khokon said, "Imposing five lakh taka as costs on a junior lawyer is too much. Please waive it. He then said, 'After I became Chief Justice, lawyers’ income has decreased'. I remarked that income has decreased in that sense because, earlier, there were 11 justices in the Appellate Division with three benches, and now there’s just one bench."

In front of the extended building of the High Court Division, Mahbub Uddin Khokon further stated, "When a case is stayed. . . we cannot hold a hearing there. Even in the chamber court, staying takes a year to be heard. Why can’t mention be made if a particular case is at the top (in the cause list) but goes to the bottom, and since there's just one bench, people have not been getting justice for a long time, and hearings are not happening. If there are cases, lawyers will have an income — whether less or more. I mentioned it very politely. I had not anticipated he would react so much. They are supposed to judge beyond anger and resentment. As a representative of the lawyers, I have an obligation to appeal to him on behalf of the lawyers. "