Hamid urges judges to clear case backlog, cut waiting time for judgement copies

President Md Abdul Hamid has urged the judges to work harder so that the people seeking justice need not wait long for copies of rulings.

“As a lawyer, I know how hard and complex the work in the judiciary is, how hard the judges have to work. But the judges will need to work harder in order to deal with the rising number of cases,” the president said.

“The government firmly believes in the freedom of judiciary and is committed to ensuring professional facilities for the judges. But the judges must be careful so that the people seeking justice do not need to walk the corridors of the court day after day for copies of verdicts,” he added.

Hamid was addressing a Supreme Court Day programme at the top court’s auditorium on Friday via video conferencing.

The Supreme Court of independent Bangladesh was established on Dec 16, 1972 but the court sat for the first time on Dec 18 as the opening day had coincided with the Victory Day - a holiday. The top constitutional court authorities in 2017 decided to observe Dec 17 as the Supreme Court Day. 

The president thanked the people in the judiciary for conducting trials virtually amid the coronavirus shutdown.

He urged the Supreme Court to save records digitally.

The president reminded everyone in the judiciary that they are constitutionally obligated to ensure justice for all equally.

“It is not a matter of sympathy or favour,” he remarked.

Ensuring justice for all in society based on peace is one of the prerequisites for achieving Sustainable Development Goals, Hamid said.

“There will be a lack of confidence (in the justice system) if disputes are not settled properly. And anarchy may be created in the state and society if this (lack of confidence) continues,” he said.

“The judiciary assuages the aggrieved initially by settling disputes. It drives away inequality in society and keeps economic and political stability in the state. This is how Sustainable Development Goals can be achieved,” the president pointed out.

Justice M Enayetur Rahim delivered a speech remembering Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of his birth centenary.

Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain presided over the event. Law Minister Anisul Huq, Justice Mirza Hussain Haider, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Ruhul Quddus Kazal, general secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association, among others, spoke.

A documentary on the history of the Supreme Court was screened at the programme. A digital version of a souvenir book was also unveiled.