'Misconduct' at Tribunal-1
Defence counsel asked to follow decorum
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday exonerated three defence lawyers for the accused Jamaat leaders from contempt of court proceedings accepting their unconditional apology over "misconduct" in courtroom.
The three-member tribunal led by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir however warned the defence counsel, Tajul Islam, and asked him to maintain the court decorum.
The tribunal issued a show cause notice on November 6 on the three lawyers--Mizanul Islam, Tajul Islam, and Tanvir Ahmed Al-Amin--about why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for their "misconduct" on the preceding day.
On November 5, the lawyers created a commotion at the tribunal over the alleged abduction of a prosecution witness by plainclothes police and boycotted the proceedings when the tribunal took time to investigate the matter. The chaos forced the judges to leave the courtroom.
During the commotion, defence counsel Mizanul Islam repeatedly called the Chief Prosecutor, Ghulam Arief Tipoo, "a liar". On the same day, Tajul told journalists that the tribunal might have involvement in the "abduction".
In reply to the show cause notice, the three lawyers sought unconditional mercy of the tribunal.
Meanwhile, the tribunal yesterday rejected Jamaat leader Ghulam Azam's petition for accepting the reports of a Bangla daily on alleged Skype conversations between Justice Md Nizamul Huq, former chief of the tribunal, and an expatriate legal expert as defence documents.
Defence lawyers for the war crimes accused Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ghulam Azam yesterday completed submission of two petitions on removal of Prosecutor Zead Al Malum. The tribunal fixed January 20 for passing an order.
Another defence counsel, Abdur Razzaque, completed submission of three petitions on the review of the retrial order for Jamaat leaders Ghulam Azam, Motiur Rahman Nizami and Delawar Hossain Sayedee.
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