The 15-minute brawl started at 10.40am in the courtroom in presence of judge Faizee. The two groups chanted slogans and counter slogans creating a chaotic scene.

The lawyers split over Faizee's joining the bench last Sunday. The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) leaders had requested him not to perform judicial tasks while pro-government lawyers extended their support to him.

The SCBA has also decided to continue boycotting Faizee's court until the issue of Faizee's LLB certificate is resolved. The pro-government lawyers and government law officers, however, opposed the SCBA decision.

Some 50 lawyers led by SCBA President advocate Mahbubey Alam and Secretary advocate Enayetur Rahim came to the courtroom at 10.35am yesterday to stage demonstration against Faizee's presence at the bench.

When the protesting lawyers were entering the courtroom, the pro-government lawyers and law officers tried to stop them. The pro-boycott lawyers chanting slogans in favour of their boycott programme got inside the courtroom.

The pro-government lawyers led by ruling BNP's Law Affairs Secretary advocate Jainul Abedin then raised counter-slogans terming the SCBA leadership "illegal." In the slogans they named several rival lawyers shouting that they will be "skinned."

When the SCBA president told the law officers that they should respect SCBA decision, some of them reacted sharply. "Who are you? Go back to your Bar office," said one law officer. Another said the Bar president has no business in the courtroom.

At one point, several lawyers from both the camps got up on the tables and were locked in a scuffle as judge Faizee watched sitting silently in his chair. The pro-boycott lawyers chanted slogans asking him to get down from the bench.

Fifteen minutes later, the pro-boycott lawyers came out of the room and brought out a procession that marched on the Supreme Court premises. The pro-government lawyers also brought out a procession.

Talking to journalists, SCBA President Mahbubey Alam later said they staged the demonstration as judge Faizee took his bench yesterday despite the SC Bar's request to him not to sit in the courtroom.

"But when we went to his courtroom today, we saw a number of non-SCBA members, several assistant attorneys general and deputy attorneys general were sitting there. A few outsiders were there," he alleged.

"When we proceeded to say something to the judge, they (pro-government lawyers) tried to stop us. They behaved indecently with us and shouted indecent slogans," he added.

The pro-government lawyers meanwhile urged the chief justice to take legal steps against those who created chaos in the courtroom. They blamed the SCBA leaders for the scuffle.

The SCBA leaders said they will continue to stage demonstration on every working day against Faizee's presence at the bench.

The SCBA executive committee held an emergency meeting yesterday evening to discuss fresh programmes.

The pro-government lawyers also held a meeting in the evening and decided that they will stage a sit-in in front of the offices of the SCBA president and secretary.