It takes up to 60 years to dispose of a civil case!

Expressing disappointment over the long delay in case disposal and huge backlog of pending cases, Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday said sometimes around 60 years' time is needed for final disposal of a civil case at present.

Before, it used to take around 30 years on an average, he added.

"If this trend continues, the judiciary will come under question. The judges must discharge their duties with utmost sincerity, honesty and competence in order to reduce the backlog of cases and to tackle the challenges."

He said this while speaking as chief guest at a function organised on the occasion of inauguration of a special foundation training course for the assistant judges at Judicial Administration Training Institute in Dhaka.

He said the government enhanced the facilities of judges including raising their salaries, taken steps for providing them with necessary training, and improved the infrastructures on the court premises to tackle challenges of case backlogs.

The government has undertaken a project of a cost of Tk 2,200 crore for establishing e-judiciary in the country, he said, adding that around 3.5 lakh litigants have been given relief through virtual courts during the pandemic.

He said people want justice in a short time and the judges must work to fulfill their desire.

He also said the government will take all possible steps including use of Alternative Dispute Resolution for reducing the backlogs.