TH Khan and Aminul Haque-led faction suspended Barrister Huda and BNP Law Secretary Joynul Abedin's membership in Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum after Huda announced to dissolve the SC units of the Forum and Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Oikya Parishad.

Both the groups termed each other's action as 'illegal and out of jurisdiction.'

"They have no right to suspend our membership because the positions they used to hold in the committee (Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum) is no more valid as the committee has expired," Communications Minister Huda told The Daily Star last night.

"We will soon form a new convening committee of the Forum. Full committees of lawyers will be formed across the country in three months," he said.

Huda and Advocate Joynul lead one faction while former BNP law minister TH Khan and Post and Telecommunication Minister Barrister Aminul Haque the other.

Huda and Joynul announced to dissolve the two committees at a press conference under the banner of Oikya Parishad at the Supreme Court Bar building at around 1:00pm.

They opposed a grand rally of lawyers convened by the Forum tomorrow in Dhaka. Law Minister Moudud Ahmed is scheduled to attend the rally as chief guest.

Later, Forum President TH Khan, Secretary General Aminul Haque and other top leaders at a press conference at the same venue announced the suspension of Huda and Joynul's membership in the Forum and said they will hold tomorrow's rally at any cost.

The suspension is the first step of their expulsion [from the Forum], TH Khan told reporters. Both Huda and Joynul are members of the Forum's standing committee.

At the press conference, Huda asked the Forum to refrain from holding tomorrow's rally, saying it would legitimise the opposition-backed lawyers' activities.

"Pro-opposition lawyers are carrying out activities that go against the Supreme Court verdict [that bans lawyers' agitation on court premises]," Huda said in a written statement. He added that such activities are tantamount to contempt of court.

Dissolving the Forum and Oikya Parishad units, he said the two units are working as 'pocket committees.' "I don't believe in pocket committees," he added.

Barrister Ziaur Rahman Khan MP and advocate Saidur Rahman are serving as president and secretary of the Forum's SC unit while State Minister for Law Shahjahan Omar and advocate Golam Kibria are convenor and member secretary of the Oikya Parishad unit.

Huda also announced convening committees of the two units. Advocate M Shamsul Alam has been made convenor of the 164-member Forum committee while Shahjahan Omar convenor of 151-member Oikya Parishad committee.

Identifying himself as the Forum's central committee vice chairman and Oikya Parishad's central convenor, Huda said 175 lawyers have asked to dissolve the two units.

Two hours after Huda's press conference, Forum leaders gathered on the Supreme Court premises and held a closed door meeting at TH Khan's chamber.

"Huda's unilateral statement that the August 5 grand rally will not be held goes against the discipline and constitution of the Forum. Their memberships [of the Forum] have been suspended for their act," TH Khan told reporters.

Asked about a law ministry letter that asked all government law officers of the country to attend the August 5 rally, Barrister Aminul expressed ignorance about it.

On whether holding of the rally will be a violation of the High Court ban on agitation, Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on law ministry Advocate Khondoker Mahbubuddin Ahmed MP said, "No. We will hold the rally on the Supreme Court Bar Association premises which is out of the prohibition."

Former Speaker Shaikh Razzak Ali was also present at the press conference.

Sources said top Forum leaders decided to hold the August 5 rally at a meeting at the law minister's office on July 26.

The meeting, attended by both Huda and Joynul, also decided that the Forum president and secretary will from now on also act as president and secretary of the Oikya Parishad and there will be no separate president and secretary of the Parishad.

As the decision hampered their supremacy, Huda and his supporters made the move yesterday to dissolve both the SC units of the two associations, sources said.