Independent judiciary must for democracy: CJ
Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain yesterday said an independent and competent judiciary was a must for democracy, the rule of law and the development desired.
“Ours is a modern judiciary, which greatly enjoys people's confidence. We cannot conceive of democracy, the rule of law and the desired development of the country unless there is an independent and competent judiciary,†he told the inaugural programme of a national inception workshop of the Judicial Strengthening (JUST) project at a hotel in the capital.
The chief justice said the rapid increase in the number of cases caused a huge backlog, which was obstructing people's access to justice. “The huge backlog of cases is slowly overwhelming the justice delivery system, causing further delay in the disposal of cases and undermining [people's] access to justice.â€
He pointed out population growth and abnormal rise in the prices of immoveable properties as the reasons behind the increase in the number of cases.
More than 21 lakh cases were found pending on January 1 in all courts and tribunals, including the Supreme Court, of the country, the chief justice had said earlier.
Emphasising arbitration in civil cases, Justice Muzammel said, “It's neither feasible nor desirable that all cases shall go through the trial process and be ended with a judicial verdict.â€
He laid importance also on change in the work culture of judges, lawyers and court staff for the reformation.
The project "JUST" has been implemented jointly by the government, the Supreme Court and United Nations Developments Programme (UNDP) since July 2012 to support reforms in the country's judiciary system. The project will end in December 2014.
UNDP Country Director Stefan Priesner said a well-functioning justice sector was a precondition for social peace and harmony to expedite human development and economic growth.
Two of the High Court judges, Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Mohammad Anwarul Haque, suggested modernising the existing laws and increasing use of modern technology for proper case management.
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