A Supreme Court lawyer today served a legal notice to two ministers requesting them to explain their comments about the chief justice and war criminal Mir Quasem Ali's appeal.

SM Zulfiqure Ali sent the notice to Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque requesting their explanation in black and white within 24 hours.

In the notice, Zulfiqure asked the ministers to explain as to why their March 5 comments about the CJ and a subjudice matter should not be declared illegal, unconstitutional and considered as offence tantamount to contempt of court.

He said if the two ministers do not make any explanation in 24 hours, he will file a writ petition with the High Court seeking necessary orders on them.

Addressing a discussion in the capital on March 5, Food Minister Qamrul Islam said the appeal in Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali's case should be reheard by a reconstituted Appellate Division bench of the Supreme Court, keeping the chief justice out of it.

Qamrul, who was state minister for law when the tribunal was formed in 2010, told the discussion that the chief justice in an open court made some observations that raised questions about the prosecutors and investigators' role in the trial.

On the other hand, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque also made some observations during the same programme.