While addressing the International Conference on Judiciary across the Borders organised by the Bangladesh Supreme Court at its auditorium on Saturday Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan says more than 40 lakh cases are now pending for trial in different courts of the country. In a span of 15 years and six months, the figure has doubled in the higher and lower courts, according to a Law Commission report.
The chief justice urged all concerned, including judges and lawyers, to work towards clearing the huge backlog of pending cases. A large number of cases remain unsettled as the country of about 18 crore people has only 1,900 judges, according to reports published in different dailies.
This is a long-standing problem, which has gone on for years and years and remains unsolved to this day. As these cases remain pending in different courts across the country, justice seekers have been facing serious difficulties.
Many of them became bankrupt and failed to continue their cases due to financial crisis. We know the government wants to ensure justice for all with prompt disposal of cases and ensure transparency and accountability in the country. The government does not have any option but to appoint more judges and construct different infrastructures.
Every citizen of the country has the right to get justice in time. If the government wants to ease the backlog of cases, it will also have to adopt a plan in this regard and the judges will have to play a vital role to this end. All want every person to get justice through disposing of the cases quickly as justice delayed is tantamount to justice denied.
Earlier Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) had asked the Attorney General about quick disposal of subversion cases. As per the Prime Minister’s order, the Attorney General had requested the former chief justice to take initiatives for disposing of all the pending cases, including those filed over attacks on law enforcers, subversion, and arson attacks.
More than 40 lakh cases are now
pending
for trial in different courts
of the country
The public prosecutors will also have to take steps to ensure the presence of witnesses at courts to ensure the quick disposal of cases.
The government is firmly committed to policies of establishing justice, democracy, and the rule of law. The rule of law has been established in almost all sectors in the country following the tireless work of the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As a result, judges are now performing their duties independently with honesty. However, the shortage of judges is the main reason for the backlog of cases.
It is a constitutional right for everyone in Bangladesh to get a speedy trial. And it is the duty of justices to ensure a speedy trial. All believe the judiciary is still the last hope of people’s confidence. People’s confidence has now become the main source of internal strength of the country’s judicial system.
We think the country’s judiciary has achieved remarkable success and it is now in a strong position. The judiciary is now playing a key role in ensuring justice for the people seeking justice in the higher and lower courts.
All judges, lawyers, and all other stakeholders may come forward in disposal of cases through mediation. Our judiciary system should be more functional and dynamic to protect basic human rights, establish the rule of law, and provide justice to the litigants as early as possible.
