A trainee lawyer was injured after being struck by a paperweight, allegedly thrown by a judge, during court proceedings in Gopalganj. She was later taken to the 250-bed Gopalganj General Hospital for treatment.

The incident occurred around 12:30pm today in court no. 2 of the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court.

Eyewitnesses said several people were talking loudly during a hearing despite repeated warnings from the judge, Md Sujon Mia. Frustrated, he reportedly threw a paperweight from his desk, which struck the trainee lawyer, Sabiha Sultana, on the head. Colleagues later rushed her to hospital.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Sabiha said, “I was sitting in the courtroom reviewing documents when a paperweight suddenly hit me. Later I learned the judge had thrown it toward individuals talking at the back, but it ended up hitting me.”

Advocate MA Alam Selim, government pleader of the Gopalganj District Judge’s Court and general secretary of the District Bar Association, said, “From what I have learned, the judge did not intentionally throw the paperweight at her. Nevertheless, such an incident is not expected.”

“Following the incident, we met with the chief judicial magistrate and requested that the concerned judge refrain from conducting proceedings in that court for the time being...The authority to discipline a judge or formally remove a judge from a court lies with the competent authorities and the higher judiciary. However, the proceedings of the court he had been conducting will now be overseen by another judge. Another meeting between lawyers and judicial officials is expected to take place regarding the matter,” he added.

Attempts to contact Md Sujon Mia for comment were unsuccessful, as his phone remained switched off.