Egypt's highest judicial institution on Saturday accused President Mohammed Morsi of staging an "unprecedented attack on the judiciary" after granting himself sweeping new powers, DPA reported.
The Supreme Judicial Council, after its emergency meeting Saturday, expressed its regret regarding Morsi's constitutional declaration, in which he replaced the country's chief prosecutor, appointed under ousted president Hosny Mubarak.
Thursday's announcement also made Morsi's decrees immune to judicial review and barred any court from dissolving the constituent assembly, which is drawing up a new constitution.
"The new declaration is an unprecedented attack on the judiciary's rulings and independence," the assembly said in a statement, calling on Morsi to avoid "everything that violates the judicial authority."
Dozens of protesters were staging a sit-in in central Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Supporters and opponents of Morsi rallied across Egypt Friday. Police forces clashed with protesters near Tahrir Square, where thousands of his opponents converged, demanding a reversal of the constitutional declaration.
Angry demonstrators also attacked offices of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, which Morsi belonged to prior becoming the country's first elected civilian president this summer.