Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury on Tuesday left the courtroom with his bench after Supreme Court Bar Association President Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon became involved in a heated exchange over a fine imposed on a lawyer.

Attorney General Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajol said the incident occurred in the Appellate Division after a female lawyer was fined Tk 500,000 by the Appellate Division for filing five cases over the same incident while concealing information about the previous cases.

Barrister Khokon was the female lawyer’s senior. At one stage of the hearing, Khokon told the Chief Justice, “Lawyers’ income has declined since you became Chief Justice.”

“The Chief Justice initially took the remark lightly. He then said, ‘The words you have used amount to contempt of court. I will not hear any more cases today,’” Kajol told journalists.

The Chief Justice then left the courtroom.

Speaking to reporters earlier, Khokon said he had requested the Chief Justice to waive the penalty.

“I politely told the Chief Justice that cases cannot be heard in the same way as before since he became Chief Justice. As a result, lawyers’ income has declined. Imposing Tk 500,000 in costs on a junior lawyer is too much. I requested him to waive the fine,” he said.

Khokon said the Chief Justice then asked whether lawyers’ income had declined because he had become Chief Justice.

“I tried to explain that previously there were 11 judges and three benches in the Appellate Division. Cases could be heard across the three benches,” he said.

“Now there is only one bench. If a stay or injunction is granted in a case, it may take a long time for the matter to be heard. Even if a chamber judge grants a stay, it can take more than a year for the case to come up for hearing.”

“Since there is only one bench, people have been deprived of justice for a long time. Cases cannot be heard,” he said.

“So, if lawyers cannot get cases heard, how are they supposed to earn? I said this very politely.”

Khokon said he had not expected the Chief Justice to react so strongly.

“His position as a judge is above anger or personal grievances. As the representative of lawyers, I have an obligation to make requests on their behalf. What I said was simply the reality,” he said.