Staff Reporter:
Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has said the essence of reform is moral rather than administrative, so that institutions serve the people, not power, authority aligns with legitimacy, and the judiciary becomes the ethical guardian of public confidence.
He made the remarks while addressing a programme on Saturday, marking the 75th anniversary and reunion of the Department of Islamic History and Culture at Dhaka University. The event was organised at the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) auditorium on the campus.
Paying tribute to the memory of his late mother, eminent educationist and Bangladesh’s first female National Professor Sufia Ahmed, a former student and later a faculty member of the same department, the chief justice said she belonged to that rare generation whose intellectual ambition was deeply intertwined with moral grace.
“Her life symbolised the academic empowerment of women and the moral integrity of education, which continues to inspire me today.”
He said, “Standing before you on this historic day is to experience a profound convergence of memory and destiny. The 75-year journey of the Department of Islamic History and Culture is not just a chronicle of academic success, but an integral part of the nation’s intellectual heritage.”
Chief Justice Syed Refaat said that no reformer can be wise without a deep understanding of history, and similarly, no judge can deliver a proper interpretation of the law without understanding the roots of civilisation.
He said law represents a nation’s moral history, written through the language of justice, while history is the study of why society must progress toward improvement.
Regarding judicial reforms, the chief justice said the judiciary cannot survive merely on tradition; it must adapt to remain relevant.
“To stay relevant, the judiciary must undergo reform. Over the past 15 months, we have undertaken institutional transformation initiatives to ensure judicial independence, enhance efficiency, and make access to justice easier for the people, and these efforts are still ongoing,” he added.
