Govt mulling law to keep virtual courts open: minister
The government will convert the temporary ordinance into a permanent law in order to continue operating the virtual court system after the Covid-19 pandemic, said Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday.
"We enacted an ordinance allowing courts to operate virtually. We now want to maintain this momentum, institutionalized some of the best practices we have gathered during this period and trigger a systematic transformation of the justice system. As an immediate first step, we intend to convert the temporary ordinance on the virtual court to a permanant law -- which will then operate post-Covid," he said.
He was presenting a written statement before the annual UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) conference on "Reflection on Rule of Law, Human Rights and Social Contact" virtually held through video conferencing yesterday afternoon.
Minister Anisul Huq participated in the conference as a representative from Bangladesh as a legal expert, human rights activist and civil society member, law ministry's Public Relations Officer Md Rezaul Karim told The Daily Star.
The law minister told the UNDP conference that the cabinet has discussed the urgency of this law on Monday and planned to enact the same very shortly. "We hope it will help reduce cost and the time spent in resolving cases and increase the efficiency in dispensing justice," he said.
Anisul Huq also said the government has a plan to bring reforms in the law including amendment of the evidence act in order to remove the gaps in the legal proceedings.
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