Ashutosh Sarkar

The Supreme Court yesterday formally proposed the formation of a Judicial Appointment Council led by the chief justice through an ordinance to select judges for recruitment to both divisions of the apex court.

Disclosing his plan, the chief justice also said specific rules will be formulated for constituting the council under the constitution and he will share all these relevant issues with the HC judges later on

The Supreme Court has proposed establishing a separate secretariat for the judiciary to make it truly independent and effectively separate it from the executive branch.

The Supreme Court has proposed establishing a separate secretariat for the judiciary to make it truly independent and effectively separate it from the executive branch

Twelve years after the communal attacks on the Buddhist community in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, justice remains elusive as no trial has been completed in any of the 18 cases filed over the incident.

Four years have passed after the concerned lower court finished the trial proceedings and delivered its verdict in a case filed for the custodial torture and death of Ishtiaque Hossain Jonny, a garment-waste trader from Mirpur, 10 years ago.

The government has prepared a draft to amend the International Crimes (Tribunals) 1973, keeping the provision that allows banning of a political party for 10 years for committing crimes against humanity and genocide.

The High Court in the full text of an order has directed the Bangladesh Bank to appoint a receiver to manage the companies of Beximco Group and attach all the properties belonging to the companies for six months.

The High Court Division of the Supreme Court is now facing a shortage of judges after five of its judges have been elevated to the Appellate Division including one as chief justice.

iPhone juggernaut Apple is in talks to invest in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and the biggest name in generative artificial intelligence, a news report said Thursday.

Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, who was allegedly forced to leave the country about seven years ago as a sitting chief justice, has said he is ready to return to Bangladesh and prove that all the cases filed against him are completely false and fabricated if the government ensures his security.

Uncertainty looms over quick delivery of a High Court judgement in the August 21, 2004, grenade attack cases as the hearing on appeals and death references has recently been halted.

The Detective Branch’s picking up of key coordinators of the quota reform protest “for the sake of security” is unconstitutional, said two legal experts and an academician.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, in the full text of its July 10 order, has said the High Court judgement, which effectively reinstated quotas in government jobs, must remain inoperative until the leave-to-appeal petitions filed with this court are disposed of.

Although eight years have passed since the horrific militant attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s Gulshan, justice is yet to be finalised for the families of the victims.

It is still uncertain when the August 21 grenade attack cases will reach the eventuality although the High Court has so far held hearings on death references and appeals for 91 working days since December 5, 2022.

The High Court and Appellate divisions of the Supreme Court have long been facing an acute shortage of judges.

Law enforcers have no idea where former BASIC Bank chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bacchu is even though a Dhaka court has so far issued 52 warrants for him in as many cases since February 28.

Legal experts have expressed worries about the growing abuse of power by the executive magistrates.

Appointment of new judges for both the Appellate and High Court divisions of the Supreme Court is on the cards amid an acute shortage of judges with respect to the number of pending cases.