Staff Reporter:
Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury yesterday said positive steps would be taken to reduce the backlog of cases in courts through the adoption of technological measures.
He made the remarks while addressing a reception hosted to him by the Attorney General’s Office and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) at Courtroom No. 1 of the Appellate Division of the Su-preme Court.
The Chief Justice urged lawyers to uphold the dignity and sanctity of the legal profession both inside and outside court premises. He also stressed the importance of ensuring security for judges, lawyers and liti-gants.
Calling for professional development, the Chief Justice urged the leaders of the SCBA and various bar associations present at the program to arrange regular training programs for lawyers.
Additional Attorney General Mohammad Arshadur Rouf, in his speech, said the court is the final and safest refuge of the people’s hopes and aspirations. However, during the past period of autocratic rule, the oppressed and helpless people found no shelter there. Instead of justice, injustice had prevailed, he added.
He said the judiciary had been politicized over the last fifteen years and, in many cases, turned into an instrument of political hooliganism.
“Political wrongdoing was institutionalized through the misuse of the judiciary. The cries of helpless and oppressed litigants failed to leave any mark on the conscience of the courts, resulting in justice being silently suffocated. The air was heavy with the cries of women, men and children, yet the judiciary failed to stand beside the oppressed with the banner of justice,” Rouf said.
“This failure is ours collectively,” he said, adding that corruption had permeated every layer of the judi-ciary. Unjustified delays in delivering verdicts, as well as purposefully hasty trials, had both pushed the judiciary into a state of crisis. As a result, the judiciary lost its distinct character and independence, lead-ing to the burial of public expectations regarding justice,” he added.
Addressing the Chief Justice, SCBA President Barrister AM Mahbubuddin Khokon said the judiciary must be kept away from politics and freed from syndicates.
It is essential to reflect the hopes and aspirations of the new generation and the masses towards the judi-ciary in order to build the Bangladesh of the future, he added.
Expressing confidence in the Chief Justice, Khokon said, “We hope you will ensure a fully independent judiciary free from all forms of influence. We expect you to make the utmost efforts to protect citizens’ constitutional and fundamental rights, remove unnecessary delays in case disposal, and establish justice.”
He also urged the Chief Justice to remain committed to eliminating discrimination at all levels of society and to take into account the incidents of enforced disappearances, killings, and false cases that occurred over the last sixteen years.
Barrister Khokon further said all forms of syndicates within the judiciary must be dismantled and cor-ruption must be stopped.
Referring to the nation’s journey towards positive change through the mass uprising and judicial reforms, he said the Supreme Court Bar Association would always stand by the Chief Justice in this effort to re-build the country and reform the judiciary.
Judges of both divisions of the Supreme Court, senior lawyers, journalists and Supreme Court officials were present at the program.
