Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Monday expressed support for the proposal made by the National Consensus Commission to decentralise the lower judiciary and extend its reach to the upazila level, aiming to bring justice closer to people.
Talking to reporters during a break on the tenth day of the Commission's second round of meetings with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad said their party agreed with the proposal.
“Jamaat has agreed with the Commission’s proposal on decentralisation of the lower judiciary, bringing it from district to upazila level. We have supported their proposal because today’s National Consensus Commission, today’s interim government, and the overall situation in Bangladesh—all centre around the public aspiration for change on 5 August. In the interest of the people, we want to bring the courts to their doorsteps,” said Azad.
Explaining the reasoning behind this support, Azad highlighted the hardships faced by rural citizens in accessing justice.
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“If someone living in an upazila seeks justice, they have to overcome significant communication barriers to reach the district level. There is an economic aspect to this. Distance and time are also factors. Once at the district level, arranging a lawyer and undergoing the judicial process brings about psychological suffering, as well as costs for accommodation and food,” he said.
He went on to say, “The situation becomes even more unbearable if the litigant is financially constrained. Therefore, to reduce public suffering and ensure justice, and to ease the legal burden on courts, we supported the idea of bringing courts to the upazila level.”
Azad said Bangladesh has 495 upazilas and that some judicial benches are already in place under constitutional provisions. “We proposed that all upazilas gradually be brought under the court system and that existing benches be transformed into permanent courts,” he said.
He also acknowledged concerns that decentralisation of the judiciary might lead to increased corruption, given the presence of broker syndicates that often collude with judiciary officials or deceive litigants with false promises.
“This issue came up in discussions. But as the saying goes, we don’t cut off the head to cure a headache. If people develop moral values, awareness increases, and if we can educate them, such problems can be eliminated. And is corruption absent in district-level courts? Didn’t you yourselves report how a verdict was issued using a forged signature of a High Court judge?” Azad mentioned.
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The Jamaat leader said the discussion also touched on village courts. “There are some limitations within the village court system. We proposed making it more effective. For instance, it currently allows a maximum fine of Tk 75,000. That jurisdiction could be increased.”
There is also a lack of qualified individuals to mediate disputes. If they are given proper training and empowered with more authority and skills, many issues can be resolved at the union level itself through village courts, Azad said, adding that could be a useful mechanism for quick dispute resolution.