ISLAMABAD (BBC) -- Pakistan's top judge was to appear Tuesday before a closed hearing of senior judges investigating allegations that he misused his authority.

Lawyers have boycotted courts across Pakistan in protest against what they say is an unlawful suspension.

The judge is noted for his firm line on government misdeeds and human rights abuses in the country.

Tuesday's proceedings began in confusion when Chaudhry refused to take the official car sent to take him to the hearing at the Supreme Court but started walking there. He was stopped by police and taken to another official building before being forced into a car and taken to the court buildings. Some 200 lawyers supporting Chaudhry managed to reach the Supreme Court despite tight security, chanting slogans against the president such as "Go Musharraf, go."

They are also demanding that the hearings be made open to the public. They were later joined by opposition politicians.

Thousands of lawyers protested Monday against Chaudhry's suspension.

Lawyers in Islamabad carried black flags to courthouses, and hundreds more marched in Lahore, where more than 20 were injured in clashes with police. Correspondents say many people believe the chief justice was suspended because he took up cases unpopular with the government. ----------Growing tension

The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad said the clashes in Lahore reflected growing tension in the country since Gen Musharraf removed the chief justice from his post on Friday.

The president had received "numerous complaints and serious allegations for misconduct, misuse of authority and actions prejudicial to the dignity of office of the chief justice of Pakistan", the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.

Lawyers, opposition parties, human rights activists and some judges have condemned the move as unconstitutional and a blow to the independence of the judiciary.

The government has so far not made public details of the allegations.

Our correspondent says the chief justice had an abrasive style and had earlier been publicly criticized by a lawyer for abusing his authority.

But she says many in the legal community believe Iftikhar Chaudhry was dismissed because he took up cases unpopular with the government.

Chief among these was a petition to recover missing persons, allegedly abducted by intelligence agencies. He also overturned the recent sale of Pakistan's state-run steel mills.

The president is also accused of trying to intimidate the judiciary in an election year.

He said Iftikhar Chaudhry was to all intents and purposes being held under house arrest in Islamabad, with a police guard posted at his residence and the official flag taken down.

Only a few visitors have been allowed in to see Chaudhry since he was suspended.

The current president of the Supreme Court Bar Association said he had been told by Chaudhry that he would defend himself and would not step down.