Govt plans more judges for lower courts
The government is planning to recruit more judges besides the 101 judges and judicial magistrates, whose appointments to the lower courts are already underway, to reduce a huge backlog of cases.
Over 16 lakh cases are pending with the lower courts across the country while there are only 1,256 judges for disposal of the cases, said sources at the Supreme Court and the law ministry. Moreover, 200 posts of judges are now vacant.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed on December 5 told The Daily Star that judges will be appointed to the vacant posts first and then the number of lower court judges will be increased gradually.
He mentioned that the present government has appointed 207 assistant judges and judicial magistrates to the lower courts last year.
On December 4 last year, Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque told a function of judicial officials in presence of the law minister that the number of judges should be doubled to reduce the backlog of the cases and sufferings of litigants.
For the recruitment of the 101 judges and judicial magistrates, the government has kept the provision of 30 percent quota for the children of freedom fighters. This is the first time the government has made such provision.
Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission (BJSC) is going to select the candidates through tests, and the president will appoint them to the posts.
The commission has already selected 1,604 candidates out of some 3,000 through a preliminary test, BJSC sources said. The selected candidates will sit for a written test of 1,000 marks from December 11 to January 3.
The recruitment process will be completed within next six months.
In May 2008, the then caretaker government appointed 394 assistant judges and judicial magistrates following the separation of the judiciary from the executive.
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