United News of Bangladesh

The government has created 536 judicial posts and taken a series of legal, administrative and technological measures to reduce case backlogs and expedite the delivery of justice, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. The government has also initiated steps to fill vacant posts in subordinate courts, introduce digital court services and expand alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to ease pressure on the formal judicial system. The information was provided in a written reply by Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman to a question from BNP lawmaker from Madaripur-3 Anichur Rahman. He said the government had taken short- and long-term measures to ensure that all are equal in the eyes of the law and that citizens' constitutional right is upheld to seek legal protection. As part of legal reforms, Parliament formulated the Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Act, 2026 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act, 2026 during its first session. The amendments to the Civil Procedure Code have introduced provisions for serving summons through SMS and voice calls, filing complaints and written statements through affidavits, and submitting execution applications without requiring separate applications for each step. Changes to the Criminal Procedure Code have introduced new procedures for serving summons and are intended to reduce unnecessary delays in proceedings involving absconding accused persons. The government has also taken steps to make proceedings under laws relating to the prevention of violence against women and children more effective. On strengthening judicial capacity, the minister said 536 judicial posts had been created. Under the 18th Bangladesh Judicial Service examination, 200 candidates have been provisionally selected for appointment as civil judges. Their medical examinations and other necessary procedures have been completed, while subsequent administrative formalities are underway. The preliminary examination for the 19th Bangladesh Judicial Service recruitment process has also been completed. The government took steps to recruit 2,081 judicial officers for subordinate courts over the past year. Recruitment initiatives are also underway to fill another 1,075 vacant posts by January 2027. To reduce the backlog of cases, the government has introduced measures to assess the caseload of different district courts and distribute cases more evenly. Special instructions have been issued to prioritise the disposal of old cases. Steps have also been taken to ensure the attendance of witnesses through coordination among police, prosecutors, lawyers and other stakeholders. Witness attendance and information service centres have been established to facilitate court proceedings. Asaduzzaman said audio-conferencing facilities were also being used to record testimony from witnesses and other relevant persons in appropriate cases, reducing the need for physical attendance and saving time and resources. The government has also expanded alternative dispute resolution through mediation. The Legal Aid Services (Amendment) Act, 2026, passed on April 9 during the first session of Parliament, upgraded the National Legal Aid Services Organisation to the Bangladesh Legal Aid Department. Under the amended law, mediation through district legal aid offices has been made mandatory before filing cases involving disputes arising under nine scheduled laws. Agreements reached through mediation and certified by the legal aid authorities have the same legal effect as court decrees. The programme is currently operating in 30 districts, where the reported settlement rate through mediation stands at 62.03 percent. The government plans to expand the initiative to all districts in phases. On digitalisation, the minister said e-bail bond management software had been introduced in 28 districts. E-family courts have also been introduced in several districts, while an e-family appellate court has been established in Dhaka. The initiative is expected to be expanded to other districts in phases. The government has also sought a review of the Development Project Proposal (DPP) for the e-Judiciary project, which is expected to facilitate the installation of e-courtrooms, video recording of proceedings and digitisation of evidence and court documents. Besides, an initiative has been taken to prepare a 10-year integrated judicial plan based on surveys to identify infrastructure, manpower and document-management requirements in district courts. The minister said the government remained committed to reducing the suffering of litigants and ensuring speedy, transparent and affordable justice through judicial reforms, recruitment, case management and the use of information technology.