Dhaka: Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque on Sunday appeared before the appellate division of the Supreme Court to response a rule issued over contempt of court.

A nine-member bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha will conduct a hearing on contempt of court charges filed against the two ministers.

Earlier, on 15 March, the appellate division fixed 20 March for the hearing, after Qamrul Islam filed a time petition.

However, the ministers offered unconditional apology to the court for their controversial comments about Chief Justice SK Sinha.

The full bench consists of Justice Obaidul Wahab Mia, Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, Justice Mohammad Iman Ali, Justice Hasan Foyez Siddiqui, Justice Nazmul Haque Nasim, Justice Mirza Hossain Haider, and Justice Bazlur Rahman.

On 8 March, the apex court summoned the food minister and liberation war affairs minister to appear before it before 15 March for their remarks about Chief Justice SK Sinha about prosecution as regards trial of Jamaat leader Mir Quasem Ali.

Earlier Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque demanded resignation of the Chief Justice for his reported remarks that ‘the prosecution is doing politics with the trial of condemned war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali.’

The two ministers made the demand at a roundtable discussion organised by Ekatorrer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee in the city on 5 March.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam on 6 March urged all to exercise restraint in making comments on such issues as those are ‘unconstitutional’.