The High Court today summoned Tawfique Nawaz, husband of former foreign minister Dipu Moni, and three others before it on charge of criticising one of its judgments in a contemptuous manner.

Nawaz; his associate SM Munir; Prof Taslima Begum, chairman of Dhaka Education Board and Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee; and SM Wahiduzzaman, controller of examination of the Dhaka board, will have to appear before the court by 10:30am on May 19.

The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain issued a rule upon the four to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for criticising the judgment and for not complying with its directives.

The HC bench on January 29 this year directed the education board chairman and examination controller to take a step for re-examining the answer script of chemistry examination of Farah Tasnim Raisa, an HSC examinee from Dhaka City College.

But the authorities did not comply with the instruction.

In a reply to Raisa on April 15, their lawyers Tawfique Nawaz and SM Munir termed the HC judgment “misconceived, unenforceable, ineffectual and redundant”.  

Raisa on Mar 25 submitted an application to the education board seeking re-examination on the subject.

The student recently submitted a contempt of court petition against the four along with the letter which she had received from Nawaz and SM Munir.

After hearing the contempt petition today, the HC bench summoned them and issued the contempt rule against them.