The High Court has summoned Supreme Court lawyer Barrister M Sarwar Hossain over remarks he made against a judge at a press conference, directing him to appear in person on November 26 to explain his statements.

The court also ordered the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to remove videos of the remarks from social media and other online platforms.

A High Court bench comprising Justice JB M Hassan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan passed the suo motu order on Sunday.

The bench also issued a contempt of court rule against Sarwar, asking why he should not be held in contempt for making allegations of corruption against a judicial officer before they were established, allegedly undermining the dignity and reputation of the court.

Deputy Attorney General Barrister Shihab Uddin Khan confirmed the order, saying the lawyer had recently held a press conference alleging corruption against Pirojpur Joint District Judge Nahid Rumana Mitu.

The High Court took notice of the public allegations against the judge before they had been established through judicial proceedings, prompting it to issue the order, he said.

The court directed the BTRC to take immediate steps to remove the videos containing the remarks from all online platforms and social media.

Assistant Attorneys General Mohiuddin Hanif and Tanzimat Maria were present during the hearing.

Earlier, on November 5, Barrister Sarwar was served with a legal notice over allegations of spreading false information about Judge Nahid Rumana Mitu and damaging her personal and professional reputation.

Advocate Ishrat Hasan sent the notice on behalf of Supreme Court lawyer Syed Mahfuzul Islam. It asked Sarwar to withdraw his remarks about the judge and issue an apology.