A Cairo court said on Monday it does not have the authority to rule on a lawsuit demanding the banning of the activities of an Islamist alliance supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi.  

Lawyer Samir Sabry filed a lawsuit calling for the halt of the activities and closing down of the offices of the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy (NASL), an umbrella for mainly Islamist groups led by the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

However, the Cairo court of appeals for urgent matters said it "lacks jurisdiction" to rule on the matter. A primary court had previously said the same, before Sabry appealed the decision.  

NASL was established in June 2013 as calls for protests against Islamist president Mohamed Morsi were on the rise. 

Following the ouster of Morsi on 3 July, 2013 the NASL has been staging anti-government protests since then, describing Morsi's ouster as a "coup.” 

Many clashes have erupted between the group's supporters and the police in the past year, particularly after a forced dispersal of its sit-in at Rabaa Al-Adawiya in August 2013, which left hundreds killed.

Meanwhile, the government launched a crackdown on the Brotherhood, arresting hundreds of its leaders and members including Morsi himself and Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie. They are on trial for several charges including inciting murder and espionage.

TWo key members of the alliance, the Islamist Al-Wasat and the Salafist Watan parties, have recently withdrawn from the group.