They formed a human chain on the court premises under the banner of Sammilito Ainjibi Samannoy Parishad also to protest what they termed the government's procrastination in separating the judiciary from the executive and politicisation of the judiciary.

The demonstrators demanded cancellation of the controversial appointments in August of 19 High Court additional judges and immediate implementation of the Supreme Court's 12-point directive for separation of the judiciary.

According to existing laws and the constitution, the extra-judicial killings in Rab 'crossfire' are culpable and tantamount to "a contempt of humanity," said former law minister Abdul Motin Khosru addressing the gathering. He demanded judicial probes into all the deaths in 'crossfire' while in Rab or police custody.

Labelling the elite anti-crime force as a "killing machine," eminent jurist Amir-ul-Islam said terrorism cannot be eliminated with yet another form of terrorism. "People don't know exactly at whose diktat the killing machine is running and to serve whose interest," he noted.

He demanded that the state be free of terrorism and the judiciary of disgrace, and rejected the appointments of the 19 additional judges alleging political considerations at work behind those.

"It's a disgrace to the constitution that the country's highest seat of justice remains a silent spectator while the Rab carries out extra-judicial killings in guise of crossfire," lamented Ahsabur Rahman.

Mahbub-E-Alam termed the killings human rights violations and said any one accused of a crime has to be tried at a court of law. If those are not human rights violations then there is no rule of law in the country, said Abdul Baset Mazumdar.

The lawyers carried placards reading demands for a judiciary free of partisan influence, appointment of honest and efficient judges to the courts and end to deaths in 'crossfire.'

Senior lawyers Sirajul Haque, Subrata Chowdhury, Bashir Ahmed, Sahera Khatun, Abdus Salam Talukder, Azharullah Bhuyian and Enayetur Rahim also addressed the demonstrators.

The Parishad expressed solidarity with the December 11 no-confidence human wall across the country called by the 14-party opposition combine.