Egyptian Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki has resigned, a government official said Sunday, two days after demonstrators loyal to President Mohammed Morsi called for his dismissal and a purge of the judiciary, dpa reported.
"Mr Mekki will continue to undertake his assignments until a new minister is appointed as part of a planned cabinet reshuffle," added Alaa al-Hadeedi, the cabinet spokesman.
Morsi said Saturday that he would soon reshuffle the government and provincial governors.
The online edition of the state-run newspaper al-Ahram published a copy of Mekki's resignation letter, dated April 20, a day after Morsi's Islamist supporters held a mass protest in Cairo, demanding a revamp of the judiciary.
"Since you appointed me ... your opponents have been urging me to resign in line with my previous stances," wrote Mekki, apparently addressing Morsi.
Mekki had campaigned for judicial independence under the rule of former president Hosny Mubarak, who was deposed in 2011. Morsi, in turn, infuriated the judiciary in November when he granted himself sweeping new powers and made his decisions beyond judicial oversight.
"Yesterday, under the slogan of purging the judiciary, your supporters gathered to call for my dismissal in order to realize their noble objective," the brief letter continued.
Relations between Egypt's judges and Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood have been tense since June last year when the Supreme Constitutional Court voided the parliament where the conservative Islamist group held nearly half of the seats.