DHAKA: Supreme Court’s Appellate Division Tuesday asked the government to produce detained Mahmudur Rahman, the acting editor of the recently closed daily Amar Desh, and four others before the court Thursday at 9am to face a contempt-of-court charge.

A full bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim, issued the summons although Mahmudur Rahman’s counsel Barrister Abdur Razzak appealed for four weeks time for hearing on the case.

Except for Mahmudur Rahman, the four others of the closed newspaper--publisher Hashmat Ali, Deputy Editor Syed Abdal Ahmed, News Editor Mustahid Ahmed and Staff Reporter Aliullah Noman-- appeared before the court Tuesday.

Supreme Court lawyer Reaz Uddin Khan and Mynul Hassan filed the petition following a report published in the Amar Desh on April 21 with the headline ‘Chamber bench means a stay order on behalf of government’.

Attorney-General Mahbube Alam stood for the government in the contempt case.

BDST: 1550 Hrs, July 6,2010