UNB, Dhaka: The Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday fined ministers Qamrul Islam and AKM Mozammel Huq Tk50,000 each for their controversial comments about Chief Justice SK Sinha in connection with the war crimes case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali. A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by the chief justice, passed the order after finding Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq guilty during the hearing of the contempt rule in this regard.
The ministers will have to suffer seven days’ jail in default of the payment of the fine, the order said.
The bench rejected a plea seeking exemption of the contempt charges, filed by the duo.
Earlier, the ministers appeared before the court around 9am to give their explanations for the controversial comments.
The court also ordered giving the fine money to Islamia Eye Hospital and Liver Foundation of Bangladesh.
On March 20, the same bench had fixed March 27 (today) for a fresh hearing on the contempt rule after the hearing on a court order which asked the two ministers to appear before it on the day with their explanations.
The court rejected the explanation of Qamrul and accepted Mozammel’s explanation partially.
On March 14, ministers Qamrul Islam and Mozammel Huq offered unconditional apology to the court for their remarks.
They begged the pardon in separate applications submitted to the SC through their lawyers.
On March 8, the Supreme Court summoned the duo to appear before it on March 15 for their reactions to the remarks of Chief Justice SK Sinha about the prosecution as regards the trial Mir Quasem Ali in a war crimes case.
The court then ordered them to explain their comments before it by March 14.
Qamrul and Mozammel had demanded resignation of the Chief Justice for his reported remarks that ‘the prosecution is doing politics with the trial of condemned war criminal Mir Quasem Ali’.
They made the demands at a roundtable discussion organised by Ekatorrer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee in the city on March 5.
During the hearing of arguments on Mir Quasem Ali’s appeal petition on February 23, the Chief Justice purportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the activities of the prosecution and the investigation agency.
