The token protest programme was taken following the declaration of Bangladesh Judicial Service Association (BJSA) at its 55th annual conference on December 21, where it vowed to carry on the protest if their demands are not fulfilled by January 10 this year.

The judges would continue the protest programme for today and tomorrow.

The BJSA on November 21 last year asked the government to provide tax-free vehicles and firearms for all the judges across the country along with personal gunmen and guards at their residences. It also pressed the government to pay Tk 50 lakh each as compensation to the families of the judges, bombed to death by Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in Jhalakathi on November 14.

"Although the government has beefed up the security at the court premises, gave personal gunmen to the district judges, compensated the families and gave jobs to the wives of the slain judges, it is yet to fulfil all of the demands," said BJSA President Rafiqul Islam, who is also the Dhaka District and Sessions Judge.

The government only provided gunmen to the judges of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunals and is yet to provide vehicles, he said.

"We also asked the government to allocate residences of all district judges on one compound and provide round the clock guards, which is yet to be fulfilled," he added.

On the 55th conference, BJSA also pressed three-point demand to the prime minister apart from their 11-point demand, which the BJSA officials claimed are yet to be fulfilled.

These include -- appointing assistant judges for the vacant posts, giving the district and sessions judges the status of joint secretary and appointing 50 percent of the High Court judges from the lower courts.

The BJSA would sit in its extended meeting on January 29 to decide their next plan of actions, officials said.