CAIRO, Nov 2 (Aswat Masriya) – A disciplinary council suspended on Sunday 56 judges for supporting ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi through a signed declaration.

Judge Mohamed Shereen referred two weeks ago 60 judges to the disciplinary council, accusing them of signing a statement read out during the pro-Mursi Rabaa al-Adawiya camp on July 24 last year. 

The camp was set up to demonstrate support for Mursi's administration in late June 2013 and was maintained following his military ouster on July 3 and until its forcible dispersal on August 14.

Three of the referred judges have resigned from their positions, while the fourth has passed away, a judicial source said.

The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, added to Aswat Masriya that the suspended judges will either be sent to retirement or sacked from their positions. 

Shereen had demanded the judges' suspension from the judiciary. He also accused the judge who read out the statement, Mahmoud Mohi al-Deen, of fraud. 

Shereen said some of the judges whose names were on the statement denied signing it and were therefore excluded from the list of defendants in the case.

Supreme Election Committee Head Nabil Salib mandated Shereen in July 2013 to investigate 75 judges who signed a statement entitled "the independence current". The judges were accused of interfering in politics and violating the judicial authority law.