A group of lawyers on Monday staged a demo on the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) premises in Dhaka protesting a recommendation to relocate High Court benches to divisional cities.
Earlier in February, the Judiciary Reform Commission, in its report submitted to the chief adviser, recommended the establishment of permanent HC benches in divisional cities in order to decentralise the judiciary and to reduce the backlog of cases.
Last week, political parties reached a consensus on establishing permanent benches of the High Court in divisional headquarters, according to Ali Riaz, vice-president of the National Consensus Commission.
Other speakers at the event, held under the banner of general lawyers, included Sheikh Atiar Rahman, Barrister Moksedul Islam, and Mahbubur Rahman Khan, among others.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court lawyer Saiful Islam yesterday submitted an application to the chief justice, urging reconsideration of any initiative to relocate the High Court benches to divisional cities.
He said though temporary sessions of the High Court Division may be held elsewhere, any permanent relocation would contradict the constitutional spirit. The application said establishing separate benches in different divisions could lead to inconsistency and create confusion.
"It would damage the unity and policymaking authority of the highest court in the country," the application read. It also highlighted the challenges of ensuring adequate judicial staff, infrastructure, and security in divisional cities, calling it an expensive and complex undertaking that would waste state resources, time, and efficiency.
Furthermore, the lawyer expressed concern that local influence, social pressure, and political considerations could undermine judicial impartiality and credibility.
