Dhaka: Attorney General Barrister Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal has emphasized the need to halt the tendency of filing false cases to alleviate the growing backlog of cases in the courts of the country. In an exclusive interview with Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), following his assumption of office, the state’s chief law officer addressed the persistent congestion in the judiciary.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Attorney General highlighted that it would not be right to attribute the case backlog to a single factor, nor would resolving a singular issue solve the problem entirely. He stated that there are multiple reasons contributing to the accumulation of cases in the courts, with procedural issues related to case filing being a significant cause.
He pointed out the gravity of false cases, noting that often, when a person commits an offence, several unrelated individuals are also implicated as accused. This results in many innocent individuals becoming defendants in efforts to punish the actual offender. These individuals then turn to courts for justice, seeking bail, stay orders, appeals against convictions, and even filing review petitions in higher courts.
Kazal explained that such processes lead to multiple branches of litigation from a single case, which contributes to the mounting backlog. He proposed that the primary step should be to stop the practice of filing false cases. Additionally, he suggested resolving civil disputes through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms and activating village courts to reduce pressure on formal courts.
He further suggested that punishment for filing false cases could be made stricter than that for the accused in certain circumstances, emphasizing that without the fear of stricter penalties, people will not refrain from lodging false cases.
Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal also noted that many pending cases in higher courts lack substantive merit and no longer attract public interest, contributing to case congestion. Despite clear legal precedents, High Court rules are frequently issued even after apex court verdicts, leading to further proceedings at the Appellate Division. Such practices, he stated, must be discouraged to prevent new case backlogs.
He added that since the appointment of the current Chief Justice, the Appellate Division has recently disposed of several thousand cases, describing this initiative as commendable.