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Published : 22 Apr 2026, 12:00 AM
Lawyers have demanded the decision to run court proceedings virtually at the Supreme Court twice a week be reversed, citing concerns over its impact and lack of consultation.
They staged a human-chain protest on Tuesday at the Supreme Court Bar Association premises.
They said such decisions had previously been taken after discussions with leaders of the legal professionals, but this time the decision to introduce virtual courts had been “imposed” without consultation.
Criticising the rationale of saving fuel and electricity, the lawyers said the official notice mentioned power conservation, but judges would still conduct virtual hearings from courtrooms where lights, fans,and air conditioners would remain in use.
They questioned how electricity savings would be achieved.
The lawyers also said the government itself had said there was no fuel crisis in the country, adding that virtual court proceedings could have a “negative impact” on case disposal.
They warned that if the decision was not withdrawn immediately, they would seek a meeting with the chief justice to press their demands.
Lawyers Md Shahjahan, Syed Mamun Mahbub, Taimur Alam Khandaker, Mohammad Ali, Md Sarwar Hossain, AR Raihan and Nazmus Sakib spoke at the human chain.
After the protest, the lawyers met with Supreme Court Bar Association President AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, who assured them that he would inform the chief justice of their concerns.
Later, the association formally notified Supreme Court Registrar General Abu Bakkar Siddique about the protest, and he also said the matter would be conveyed to the chief justice.
According to a notice issued by the Supreme Court administration on Apr 19, virtual court proceedings would be conducted twice a week in the High Court Division in line with the Information and Communication Technology Act-2020, considering the global economic situation and aiming to save fuel and electricity.
