DHAKA, Dec 10: The Supreme Court of Bangladesh resumed work on Sunday after three days of abstention in protest against the vandalism in courtrooms and the office of the chief justice on Nov 30, 2006.

Some pro-Awami League lawyers, assisted by outsiders, vandalised the court when Chief Justice Syed JR Mudassir Hussain stopped the process of writ petitions against Iajuddin Ahmed, the president and chief adviser to the caretaker government.

The chief justice passed the order to suspend the bench when it was about to issue the ruling on the writ petition.

Meanwhile, the High Court has granted anticipatory bails for six months to seven of the nine Awami League-backed lawyers who were accused in two cases of sedition for disturbing peace and vandalism in the court premises.

The bench, comprising Justice Abdul Wahab Miah and Justice M Raish Uddin, passed the order as lawyers Rokanuddin Mahmud, Amir-ul-Islam, Subrata Chowdhury, Enayetur Rahim, Aswafur Rahman, Khasruzzaman and Subrata Saha appeared before the bench seeking bail in the cases against them.

The judges, however, did not confirm bail to Gana Forum’s president, Dr Kamal Hossain, and his associate, Tania Amir, as the two were not present to seek their bail in the same cases.