Zafrullah gets more time to explain 'contempt'

Founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra Zafrullah Chowdhury yesterday got three more days to reply to a show cause notice a war crimes tribunal issued to him for his "derogatory" comments over the court and its judges.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 set August 9 as a fresh date for submission of the reply following a time prayer by Zafrullah's lawyer M Sayed Ahmed Raza.

Raza told the three-member tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hassan that his client would seek unconditional apology for the remarks of June 10.

This was the second time the tribunal gave him additional time to submit the reply. Also a freedom fighter, he was present at the courtroom yesterday.

Zafrullah faced contempt charges for criticising a verdict of the tribunal on Bangladesh-based UK journalist David Bergman last December, and he was sentenced to one hour's imprisonment in the courtroom and fined Tk 5,000 on June 10 for this.

On that very day, he told reporters, "Today's contempt of court verdict is a proof of the mental illness of the three judges... Ensuring justice is not possible if the judges can't take criticism. When they can't stand criticism and lack rationality, they hide themselves under the cover of law."

The show cause notice came after three freedom fighters and two organisers of the Gonojagoron Mancha filed a petition seeking contempt proceedings against Zafrullah for the June 10 remarks.

Meanwhile, as Zafrullah sought unconditional apology for his criticism in December, the Supreme Court on July 28 exempted him from the punishment he was given on June 10.

This is the third time he is facing contempt charges for commenting on the war crimes tribunals and their judges.