A contempt of court petition has been filed against Sarjis Alam, northern region chief organiser of the National Citizen Party (NCP), over a Facebook post allegedly disparaging the High Court’s verdict regarding Dhaka South City Corporation’s mayoral declaration.
The petition, submitted to the relevant HC wing on Wednesday, comes after Supreme Court lawyer Md Jasim Uddin served Alam with a legal notice on Saturday. The notice demanded that upon receiving it, Sarjis Alam issue an unconditional public apology within two hours through a press conference and submit a written explanation to the chief justice via the registrar general.
“The Facebook status contained disrespectful and contemptuous remarks about one of the state’s pillars – the judiciary,” Jasim Uddin told reporters, confirming the petition was filed after receiving no response to the notice. He added the hearing might take place next week.
The controversy stems from Sarjis Alam’s May 22 Facebook post – posted at 11:49am on his verified account – to the High Court’s dismissal of a writ petition challenging the electoral tribunal’s declaration of Ishraque Hossain as DSCC mayor. The notice alleges Alam’s comments undermined the dignity of the superior judiciary.
The post has been reported by various media outlets and has besmirched the judiciary and its processes and it grounds for contempt of court.