HC disposes of contempt petition against Sarjis Alam

The High Court today disposed of with observation a contempt of court petition filed against Md Sarjis Alam, chief coordinator (north) of the National Citizen Party (NCP), over a Facebook post criticising a court order.

The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Sayed Jahed Mansur, however, did not disclose the observation instantly.

The observation will be known when the HC bench releases the full text of the order, writ petitioner Advocate Md Jasim Uddin told The Daily Star.

"I will move an appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court after receiving the full text of the High Court order," he said.

On July 7, the HC bench fixed today for delivering its order on the contempt of court petition filed against Sarjis Alam after concluding the hearing on the matter.

Writ petitioner Advocate Md Jasim Uddin himself moved the petition, while Deputy Attorney General Md Shofiqur Rahman represented the state during the hearing.

Advocate Jasim, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed the contempt petition with the HC on May 28 against Sarjis Alam for a comment made in his verified Facebook post on May 22.

In the petition, the lawyer said Sarjis Alam, through his Facebook status, had shown utter disregard to one of the pillars of the state -- the judiciary -- which is violative, degrading and contemptuous to the highest court of Bangladesh.

Jasim in the petition prayed to the HC to issue a contempt rule against Sarjis for his comment.

The post came after the HC dismissed a writ petition regarding the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayoral post.

On May 22, the HC summarily rejected a writ petition filed by DSCC resident Md Mamunur Rashid. The petition sought a stay on the Dhaka election tribunal's verdict and subsequent decisions by the Election Commission that declared BNP leader Mohammad Ishraque Hossain as the mayor of DSCC.