The ruling came following a contempt petition filed by a Dhaka judge's court advocate Gazi Rabiul Islam Shagor on June 29 alleging that the eleven lawyers violated the HC's ruling by boycotting court and by obstructing entry of judges and lawyers to the Supreme Court on June 11.

The HC in an unprecedented ruling on May 23, 2005 banned agitation on the premises of the Supreme Court or of any other court, and boycott of courts.

The eleven lawyers facing the contempt rule are -- former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Abdul Baset Mojumdar, Ozair Farooq, Mahbubey Alam, SCBA Secretary AM Amin Uddin, its former secretary Enayetur Rahim, Bashir Ahmed, SCBA Vice-president Abdul Mannan Khan, KM Saifuddin, Khandokar Mahbub Hossain, Subrata Chowdhury and Nurul Islam Sujon.

A division bench of the HC asked the eleven lawyers to submit their reply to the rule within three weeks.

Counsel for the petitioner advocate Abu Bakar Siddique said the HC on May 23, 2005 issued a suo moto ruling prohibiting gathering, congregation, picketing and laying siege to the entrance to any court. It also slapped a ban on boycotting or abstaining from attending any court on the basis of any decision of any bar association or Bangladesh Bar Council.

He said the eleven lawyers brought out processions, held rallies, obstructed judges' and lawyers' entry to the SC and boycotted the court, violating the HC's last year's suo moto order.

The Supreme Court became almost paralysed on June 11 as anti-government lawyers, angered by the HC's June 10 ban on 14-party opposition coalition's Dhaka-siege programme, boycotted the court under the banner of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), and carried out sit-in demonstrations at all court gates.

The agitators obstructed judges' and lawyers' entry to the court including the chief justice and the attorney general.

Advocate Shagor who filed the contempt petition also was the petitioner against the opposition's Dhaka-siege programme and advocate Abu Bakar Siddique moved for that petition too.