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Published : 15 Dec 2021, 07:34 PM
A legal framework for judicial recruitment in keeping with the Constitution is "essential", he said during a farewell event organised by the Attorney General's Office and the Supreme Court Bar Association on Wednesday.
Justice Hossain was sworn in as the top judge in February, 2018 following Surendra Kumar Sinha’s resignation two and a half months earlier.
Article 96(1) of the Constitution dictates that a chief justice may hold office until the age of 67. Born on Dec 31, 1954, Justice Hossain will cross the age limit this year and is set to officially leave his position on the day before his birthday. But Wednesday was his last working day as the Supreme Court will be on vacation until Dec 31.
“The faith of the people is the source of an independent judicial system’s strength. The judges must have high moral and social values while being aware of the ever-developing and changing laws as well as technical advancements,” Hossain said.
He underscored the importance of increasing the number of judges around the country to unwind the backlog of cases
“It is undeniable that the people of the country still have strong faith in the judicial system. But we don’t have sufficient judges in comparison to the number of cases.
“The number of judges needs to be doubled to settle all cases, starting from the lower court to the top court.”
The chief justice recommended accelerating the development of judicial infrastructure to create a good work environment for judges.
He also urged the authorities to keep virtual courts running alongside in-person hearings to “settle cases with haste”.
Justice Hossain’s departure from the bench will bring down the number of Appellate Division judges to four - Justices Muhammad Imman Ali, Hasan Foez Siddique, Md Nuruzzaman and Obaidul Hassan.
Justice Imman will retire in December next year before Justice Foez follows him in September 2023. Justice Nuruzzaman will also depart in June next year while Justice Obaidul will be in office until January 2026.
