The High Court on Sunday summoned Supreme Court lawyer Barrister M Sarwar Hossain over allegedly derogatory remarks made against a judge at a press conference without presenting any evidence.

It asked him to appear before court on November 26.

The court also issued a contempt of court rule against him, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him over his remarks.

A High Court bench comprising Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan passed the suo motu order and asked him to appear in person on November 26 and explain his role.

It also directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to remove the video of the press conference containing his remarks against the judge from social media and all other online platforms.

Deputy Attorney General Barrister Shihab Uddin Khan said the High Court took the matter into consideration after Sarwar Hossain made corruption allegations against a judicial officer at a press conference before those allegations had been established.

He said the court issued the rule seeking an explanation as to whether the remarks had undermined the dignity of the judiciary and the sanctity of the court.

The allegations were made against Nahid Rumana Mitu, Joint District Judge of Pirojpur, at a recent press conference organised by Sarwar Hossain.

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

Earlier, on November 5, a legal notice was served on Barrister M Sarwar Hossain over allegations of spreading false information and damaging the reputation of the judge.

The notice called on him to withdraw his statements made at the press conference and made an apology to the concerned judge.

Advocate Ishrat Hasan sent the legal notice on behalf of Supreme Court lawyer Syed Mahfuzul Islam.

Speaking to the media about the notice, Ishrat Hasan alleged that Sarwar Hossain's brother, Mohammad Bahadur Hossain, was a plaintiff in a case heard by Judge Nahid Rumana Mitu at her court in Pirojpur.

She alleged that Sarwar Hossain and his family had repeatedly attempted to exert pressure on the judge to deliver a verdict in their favour.

However, the judge delivered a verdict based on the evidence and testimony, which went against his brother, she claimed.

Ishrat Hasan also alleged that Sarwar Hossain subsequently held the press conference out of retaliation to damage the judge's reputation.

She said an appeal against the verdict had already been filed and was currently pending, with the lower court records also having reached the High Court.