Staff Reporter:
Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has reconstituted 48 benches of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court in a move to streamline judicial proceedings.
The reconstituted HC benches will assume their duties on 20 April, according to an order published on the Supreme Court’s website on Thursday.
Of the 48 benches, 30 are dual-member and 18 are single-member.
Meanwhile, the two newly appointed judges of the Appellate Division — Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Farah Mahbub — are scheduled to receive a formal reception on 20 April, when the Supreme Court resumes operations following the Eid vacation.
The two High Court judges were sworn in on 25 March, a day after their appointment to the Appellate Division by President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
The Supreme Court had been facing an acute shortage of judges, with only five judges, including Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, serving in the Appellate Division.
Due to this shortage, the Chief Justice had been unable to constitute more than one full bench, which requires at least three judges. With the appointment of the two new judges, he is now able to form two full benches in the Appellate Division.
The total number of judges in the apex court has now risen to seven.
