The High Court on Wednesday issued show-cause notices to 11 people, including three practising lawyers, for filing three separate bail applications against the same lower court order in the Saiful murder case under Mugda Police Station and even concealing relevant information while doing so.

The court directed them to explain within 15 days why action should not be taken against them.

It also barred the three lawyers from practising in the High Court Division for 15 days, said Assistant Attorney General Imdadul Hanif.

A High Court bench comprising Justice K M Zahid Sarwar and Justice Md Zakir Hossain passed the order.

Those served with the notices include three lawyers, five accused in the murder case and three alleged intermediaries.

The lawyers are Advocate Anna Khanam, Advocate S M Abdul Baten Sakil and Advocate Rahim Uddin.

The court also directed the five accused not to file any bail applications before any court until the rule is disposed of.

Assistant Attorney General Imdadul Hanif said there was no provision for filing multiple separate applications before different High Court benches challenging the same lower court order on behalf of the same accused.

During a hearing on Sunday, the court noticed that three separate applications had been filed challenging the same order rejecting bail for the accused.

The applications had been filed through three different lawyers and had remained on the cause lists of different High Court benches for a considerable period.

The court later consolidated the applications and placed them together for hearing.

On Wednesday, all three applications were heard together as the first item on the supplementary cause list.

During the hearing, it emerged that the three applications had sought bail for the same five accused and challenged the very same lower court order rejecting their bail pleas.