The International Crimes Tribunal-1 has set June 22 for order on the prosecution-proposed contempt-of-court plea against Khandker Mahbub Hossain, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, (SCBA) over his ‘scandalous’ remarks on the current war crimes trial.
After closing the hearing from both sides on Thursday, Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chairman of the three-member tribunal, fixed the date.
Moving his argument, prosecutor Zead Al Malum prayed for drawing contempt-of-court charge against Khandker Mahbub, also adviser to the BNP chairperson, terming ‘highly contemptuous’ the remarks made by the apex court Bar leader following the pronouncement of the ICT judgment on BNP stalwart Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.
On October 1, 2013, soon after the pronouncement of the ICT-1 judgment sentencing SQ Chowdhury to death for crimes against humanity during 1971 Liberation War, Khandker Mahbub at a media briefing threatened to try all involved in the war crimes trial if BNP is voted to power, terming the trial ‘farcical’.
The reaction of Khandker Mahbub published in the newspapers reads as follows, “If the nationalist force comes to power, they will try those who are war criminals in the real sense. Those who were tried out of vengeance and the cases which were prepared on the basis of fairytale must go. And those who were involved in the farcical trial, Insha-Allah (if Allah wishes), they will also be tried on the soil of Bangladesh.”
Earlier, replying to the ICT notice through his lawyer, Khandker Mahbub declined to seek any apology for his statement and said that he had honestly made the statement over the ongoing war crimes trial and he still believes in it as every citizen has the right to take legal action under the law of the land.
During hearing, Tajul Islam, the counsel for Khandker Mahbub, dismissed the prosecution plea of his client’s alleged contempt-of-court and said that his client’s speech has been misinterpreted by the complainant-petitioner without properly understanding the role of the judiciary and of the judges engaged in the dispensation of justice.
Responding to a prosecution petition on October 6, 2013, the tribunal issued a notice asking Khandker Mahbub to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for his alleged scandalous remarks on war crimes trial.
The tribunal, however, had exempted the noted lawyer from appearing in person before it to explain his position over the war crimes trial, considering his status as elected vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Bar Council, a statutory body that regulates the lawyers.
