Impact of Covid-19: Number of filing cases in village courts on decline
The rate of filing cases with the village courts in all 60 unions of the district has declined due to coronavirus outbreak, which has created obstacles to ensure justice for common people in rural areas.
As per the law, a village court would be constituted consisting of five members headed by respective Union Parishad (UP) chairman to settle down disputes like family conflict, stealing and realising compensation. It can realise compensation up to Tk 25,000.
Each court is empowered to locally dispose criminal and civil cases within 90 days which may exceed up to 120 days in special situation.
It also can solve dispute over assets having valuation up to Tk 75,000.
Farmer Kartik Chandra Roy, 50, of Kisamat Bhutian village in Sadar upazila, said he got justice from the village court a year ago as his powerful neighbour damaged banana orchard out of enmity.
The court consisting of five members, led by the UP chairman, fined the neighbour Tk 25,000, said Roy.
According to deputy director's (DD) office of local government (LG) department in district collectorate, it is learnt that the number of filing cases with all the village courts in Nilphamari was less from January to March last year. It was stood at 575.
Following the outbreak of coronavirus in Bangladesh, there was general leave from March 26 to May 30 and since then the number of filing cases started declining.
In April-June period, number of cases has come down to 491 and in July-September, it was stood only at 406.
This shows that averagely around seven cases are filed with each village court in the last three months from July, which was 10 to 12 in number in usual time.
Due to coronavirus situation, total 603 cases in the courts have remained pending till September, which were only 544 in March.
Abdul Wahab, former president of Nilphamari Lawyers' Association, said "Lower and upper courts are burdened with manifold cases and to ease pressure, there is no alternative to make the village courts more functional.
DD of LG department in Nilphamari Abdul Motaleb Sarker said the adverse impacts of pandemic have fallen on everywhere, including village courts.
They were monitoring the situation to restore normal activities soon, he added.
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