As the quorum crisis of the court of the Appellate Division continued owing to sickness of a judge, the five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Syed JR Mudassir Husain expressed its unwillingness to hear the long-pending contempt petition when the court resumed.

After brief submission made by Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam, counsel for the contempt petitioner, and Attorney General AJ Mohammad Ali, who stood for the government, the court adjourned the hearing until April 2.

Earlier on February 22, the hearing was deferred until March 1 due to illness of another judge of the full court.

When the court resumed at 9:33am, the attorney general submitted a copy of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill-2006 placed in the parliament, seeking separation of judiciary from the executive with a provision for introducing separate executive and judicial magistracies.

After receiving the copy of the bill, the court interrupted the attorney general and asked him to place the latest initiatives taken by the government with regard to framing of rules on separation of judiciary.

As the attorney general kept mum on the matter, the court asked Barrister Amir-Ul Islam to make his submission.

Barrister Amir submitted that the contempt petition against the top order secretaries might be taken up for hearing sans the full court, if it is considered as a partly heard case. But the court ruled out his submission and adjourned the hearing till April 2.