Chief justice gives cautious approval to criticism of judiciary

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha has said the judiciary can be criticised provided there is a proper ground for it.

He made the remark at a programme in Dhaka on Saturday.

He said the rule of law was essential for a country.

“If there is genuine a reason, the judiciary can be subject to constructive criticism like government institutions,” Sinha said.

“But if the criticism is unwarranted and irresponsible, then it will harm the judiciary.”

The chief justice also appreciated that people still repose faith in the judiciary despite some lacunae.

Sinha underlined the need for ‘e-judiciary’ at the programme jointly organised by the Supreme Court (SC) and the UNDP.

He stressed on an electronic case filing system, online case records, verdict archives, video conferencing system and digital display, among others to upgrade the judiciary to electronic judiciary.

“Information technology will not solve all our problems. We have to take some basic and structural actions.”

At the programme, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said information technology should be used effectively to solve the problems of the sector.

He said the government had a plan to digitise the whole judiciary.

Supreme Court Registrar General Syed Aminul Islam said a coordinated ICT policy was essential for the judiciary.

Law Minister Anisul Huq and Finance Minister AMA Muhith also spoke at the workshop attended by the SC judges along with the officials of the law ministry.