Maintain caution when reporting on courts and judges, chief justice tells journos

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan today requested journalists to take sufficient care when reporting news about the court and judges, as judges cannot make any statement to the media.

Newspapers are a mirror of a country's society, and the general public gets an idea of the courts through authentic reporting in print and electronic media by journalists working in the court premises.

Speaking at the felicitation accorded him at the Chief Justice's Courtroom by the attorney general's office and the Supreme Court Bar Association, he said, "As the judges cannot make any statement facing the journalists, therefore, I request journalists to maintain appropriate caution in making news about the courts and judges."

He said that when needed, the journalists can get information from the Supreme Court's public relations officer or from officials concerned about relevant issues.

"I want that the judiciary and the courts are not politicised in any manner.

"I want to say a word -- though it is not friendly -- that making adverse and arbitrary comments about judges and courts without knowing very well does not bear any sign of civilisation at all.

"I also want to say, in the language of former chief justice Habibur Rahman, that the judges are not above criticism. There is a scope for doing decent criticism in a civilised world."

He said the right to criticise judgements is a part of freedom of expression, which has been guaranteed under the constitution subject to reasonable restrictions by the law.

"He [Justice Habibur Rahman] had also said criticism needs to be done after being well-informed, instead of arbitrary criticism, in order to uphold the image of free journalism."

But the court's hand is long enough to punish those who abuse the independence, whoever they are – members of news media, or lawyers or any other entity.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and the SCBA president accorded felicitation to Justice Obaidul Hassan, who was sworn in as the country's 24th chief justice on September 26. Judges of the Appellate Division and High Court Division of the SC were present at the felicitation function.

Meanwhile, United Lawyers Front, a platform of lawyers, boycotted the felicitation of Justice Obaidul Hassan in protest of his receiving greetings from Awami League and Bangladesh Chhatra League men after being appointed as the chief justice.

They (ULF) also held a meeting at the SCBA premises.