Bar association presidents, general secretaries to represent people if no one else does: High Court

The High Court has ordered presidents and general secretaries of bar associations across Bangladesh to represent plaintiffs or defendants, if no other lawyers agree to represent their case.

The High Court also ordered the Bangladesh Bar Council to ensure that the order is carried out. 

Responding to an appeal by two defendants in a case filed in Kishoreganj, a High Court bench comprised of justices Obaidul Hasan and AKM Zahirul Haque gave the order on Tuesday. 

The court also summoned the Senior Judicial Magistrate of Kishoreganj M Rafiqul Bari, who continued the hearing in the case disregarding the High Court's order. 

Bari was ordered to explain his actions on December 3. 

On June 27, M Sajjad Hossain, a lawyer at Kishoreganj court filed an extortion case against M Atahar Ali and Siraj Uddin at Kishoreganj sadar police station.

No lawyer from Kishoreganj Bar Association agreed to represent the defendants under the influence of the plaintiff. The district bar association decided not to defend the accused in any case filed by a fellow lawyer.

When the accused in the case made a bail plea in the High Court, the court granted it and postponed the hearing in the case for three months. But the magistrate disregarded the order and continued the hearing.

On October 23, the High Court summoned Mia Mohammad Ferdaus, president of Kishoreganj Bar Association and Shahidul Alam Shahid, its general secretary over the matter.

The High Court warned the two lawyers after they appeared before the court on Tuesday.