CAIRO — Egypt’s military rulers have asked a panel of advisers for suggestions about handing over power to civilians earlier than the scheduled deadline at the end of June, state news media reported Sunday.

Whether the request signals an intention was unclear. It follows a week of major protests demanding an immediate handover, and the request may be an attempt to help calm the unrest. The military council took power at the ouster last year of President Hosni Mubarak, the former strongman, and hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Egypt last week for the anniversary of his overthrow.

The military had previously said it would give up power only after the ratification of a new constitution and the election of a president, both expected by the end of June, a schedule that could enable the military to shape the constitution by overseeing its drafting.

The panel of advisers the military is consulting is the civilian advisory council that the ruling generals created in December to put a civilian face on their rule. The group met only intermittently and formally disbanded soon after its creation in protest over the military’s crackdown on demonstrators calling for its ouster.