The Appellate Division of Supreme Court (SC) yesterday asked the government to produce detained Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of recently closed daily Amar Desh before it tomorrow morning in connection with a contempt of court petition against him.

A six-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Mohammed Fazlul Karim passed the order after hearing on the petition.

Mahmadur's counsel barrister Abdur Razzaq told the court that his client could not appear before the court as

he was in jail m connection with some other cases.

However, the four other staff—publisher of the newspaper Hashmat Ali, deputy editor Syed Abdal Ahmed, news editor Mustahid Ahmed and staff reporter Aliullah Noman—were present in the court yesterday in connection with this contempt of court petition as per the earlier order of the court.

The court also asked them to appear before it tomorrow.

SC lawyers Riaz Uddin Khan and Mynul Hassan jointly filed the petition on May 2 for publishing a report in the Amar Desh with the headline "Chamber manei sarkar pakkhe stay” meaning “Chamber bench means stay order in favour of the government” on April 21.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told The Daily Star that the jail authori-ties would produce Mahmudur before the Appellate Division on Thursday, as per its order.