Jakarta – An Indonesian court on Tuesday rejected a class action lawsuit filed by hardline cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, who had sought the disbanding of the police's anti-terror unit.

Bashir, who has been accused by foreign governments of being the spiritual head of regional Islamic extremist network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), had alleged that the unit violated human rights by arbitrarily arresting suspects.

The unit, known as Detachment 88, has made a string of militant arrests in recent years, including several high-profile catches this year.

Judge Wachyono told a hearing at the South Jakarta district court that the class action suit filed by Bashir's lawyers in June did not meet legal requirements.

"The panel of judges is of the opinion that the defendant did not provide details on which groups he represents and therefore the suit is unclear and vague," he said.

Bashir's lawyers had demanded that the court declare the actions of the US- and Australian-funded unit in violation of the law and human rights.

The suit alleged that officers from the unit had used torture to obtain confessions and that their work discriminated against Muslims as they were the unit's sole targets.

About 70 supporters of Bashir, many in long white Islamic shirts and skullcaps, protested the verdict by banging on tables and shouting, "Disband Detachment 88!" and "Allahu Akbar!" (God is greater). Some 50 uniformed police and more in plain clothes stood guard.

Bashir told reporters that the dismissal would not discourage him from fighting for Muslims who were the victims of tyranny. If his move was not in line with the law, he said, "then I will simply leave it to God."

Bashir, 68, served more than two years in jail for his role in a "sinister conspiracy" that led to the Bali bombings in October 2002 which left 202 people dead and were blamed on JI. Among the dead were 88 Australians, for whom the anti-terror unit was named.

The Supreme Court however overturned Bashir's conviction in December last year, and cleared him of involvement.