Zero tolerance in judiciary

Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain yesterday warned the judges and court officials that any negligence or tolerance of corruption in the judiciary will not be acceptable.
“Stern action will be taken against any judge or court official if any corruption allegation against any of them is proved,” he told the annual judicial conference of lower court judges at the Supreme Court auditorium. 
“I attach much importance to any information about corruption in the judiciary as there is no room for corruption here,” he said in his written address.
Many words have been spoken, hypothetical surveys conducted, and reports and articles published in newspapers about corruption in the lower judiciary, mentioned the CJ. 
He added: “My stand against corruption is very clear and rigid. Corruption creates injustice, and injustice at a single place is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“I'll never take into cognisance any allegation that is false and meant to harass any judge. But I'll accept any logical allegation of corruption, and will have the allegation probed by a competent judge.”
Justice Muzammel said he was worried at some occurrences involving a few judicial officials. “Many allegations about the judges' routine work, including their judicial activities, are put up to me. There is no scope of saying that all these allegations are baseless.”       
He suggested that the judges should ensure transparency in their duties and take decisions instantly in the criminal cases.
Delays in passing orders in those cases raise questions in the minds of people, including the litigants, he noted.
The CJ said bias on the part of the judges in discharging judicial duties would not be acceptable at all.
“After I've taken over as the chief justice, I received information on the cold relationship between the district judges and chief judicial magistrates in different districts, which is not desirable,” he mentioned, adding that the district judge is the chief of the judicial activities in a district.
He instructed the judges to dispose of the old cases on priority basis to reduce the backlog of cases. The judges should take care so that the witnesses of cases are not sent back without taking their statements, he pointed out.
At least 170 chief judicial magistrates, chief metropolitan magistrates, additional district judges and equivalent judicial officials from across the country attended the programme, Supreme Court Registrar AKM Shamsul Islam told The Daily Star.