HC to get 20 new judges

Around 20 new judges are likely to be appointed to the High Court Division of the Supreme Court soon as some posts have been lying vacant due to retirement and elevation of judges to the Appellate Division.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed told The Daily Star that the government would appoint the new judges to the HC after the chief justice initiates the process.
Quamrul Islam, state minister for law, said, “The new HC judges will be appointed within this month in order to reduce the number of pending cases and ensure fair justice.”
Court sources said more than three lakh cases have been pending with the HC and about 17,000 cases with the Appellate Division.
There are now 10 judges for the Appellate Division and 90 for the HC.
In June last year, the number of HC judges stood at 100 following the appointments of six additional judges.
Six HC judges have retired since then.
On March 28, acting president Abdul Hamid had appointed four HC judges to the Appellate Division.
The new Appellate Division judges, who took oath on March 31, are Justice Mohammad Anwarul Haque, Justice Siddiqur Rahman Miah, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury.
Out of existing 90 HC judges, five judges have been discharging their duties at the International Crimes Tribunals, set up to try war crimes cases.
The government has so far appointed 10 judges to the Appellate Division and 61 judges to the HC Division.