Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon today called upon Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury to take steps to make the Supreme Court free of corruption within a month.

“Lawyers have alleged corruption in the process of listing cases for hearing at the High Court Division of the Supreme Court. There are allegations of corruption against some judicial officers. Action must be taken against them,” he said.

“The lower courts across the country must be free from corruption in one month. Otherwise, the lawyers will take necessary measures,” he said at a press briefing held in front of the Annex Building of the Supreme Court this afternoon.

Barrister Khokon also demanded that three benches of the Appellate Division be made operational by appointing new judges before the court reopens after its upcoming vacation, so that cases can be heard and disposed of and litigants can receive justice quickly.

Both the Appellate and High Court Divisions of the Supreme Court will go into their annual vacation on September 16 and reopen on October 25.

Barrister Khokon further demanded that the chief justice take steps within a month to relocate the "slums" from the Supreme Court premises and arrange seating facilities for lawyers.

Criticising Attorney General Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal’s remarks over Tuesday’s incident, when a bench of the Appellate Division headed by the chief justice left the courtroom following comments made by Khokon, the SCBA president termed the intervention "unnecessary".

He said the attorney general had no reason to comment on the incident and accused him of taking a position against the lawyers.