Dhaka: The Appellate Division of Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed for eight weeks the High Court that stayed for three months the contractual appointment of ASSM Zahirul Haque as secretary to Law and Justice Division of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry.

Appellate Division Chamber Judge Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order.

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam said with the SC order there will be no bar for Zahirul Haque to perform his duties for the next eight weeks.

Earlier in the morning, HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan stayed for three months the contractual appointment of ASSM Zahirul Haque.

The court passed the order after hearing of a writ petition filed by the Supreme Court lawyer Md Ashraf-Uz-Zaman challenging the legality of the contractual appointment of judicial officer Zahirul as law secretary without consulting with the Supreme Court.

Lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali stood for petitioner while attorney general Mahbubey Alam stood for the state.

Zahirul Haque, who took charge as the law and justice secretary in February 2015, was scheduled to retire on August 7.

The government on August 6 appointed him to the same post on a two-year contract.

Zahirul had been serving as the law secretary for the past three years.

He had served for five years as deputy secretary and joint secretary, being additional district judge.