Backlog of cases in courts
It is heartening to hear from the Law Minister that the government is taking initiatives to settle the enormous number of pending cases in the courts, and that at least five to six lakh cases will be cleared from the existing backlog within the year. However, we have heard such assurances from the ministry before—assurances that, unfortunately, have not been followed by any significant reform in the justice system. Rather, the dire situation in the courts continue, with more than 34 million cases still pending and only 13 percent of the population receiving judicial services from courts across the country, according to a report of Justice Audit Bangladesh, published in 2019. In fact, the audit report projected that if the growth of pending cases continue at this pace, by 2022, chief judicial magistrates' courts, session judges' courts and the High Court Division would have 72, 82, and 89 percent of their respective cases pending.
After the report came out in August of last year, we had hoped that the ministry would take immediate steps to fast track adjudication of cases, introduce alternative dispute resolution methods (so that many cases can be resolved without going to court), increase the necessary manpower, enhance capacities of existing manpower, and ensure proper and timely management of cases. We understand that addressing such an enormous backlog requires significant overhauling of the current system and thus requires time. However, it also requires political will and urgent action. The ministry, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, must come up with a comprehensive plan of how and when this backlog will be addressed, while also ensuring fair and proper disposal of justice. The age-old practice of filing false cases, which has added to the astronomical numbers, to settle scores against rivals, must also be eliminated through diligent verification by the police.
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