Mymensingh: Chief Justice (CJ) Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed has emphasized the importance of a new roadmap for judicial reform, aimed at strengthening Bangladesh's judiciary to serve the people with integrity and efficiency. A comprehensive plan was unveiled on September 21, 2024, marking a significant step toward improving the judicial system.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Chief Justice made these remarks during a regional conference titled 'Judicial Independence and Efficiency' held at the Zila Parishad Auditorium in Mymensingh. The event, organized to discuss the reform strategies, was chaired by High Court Division Justice Farah Mahbub, a senior member of the Supreme Court Special Committee for Judicial Reform. Notable attendees included Michael Miller, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, Stefan Liller, Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh, and Romana Schweiger, Senior Rule of Law, Justice and Security Adviser of UNDP.
Chief Justice Syed Refaat highlighted his commitment to institutional reform and the judiciary's total independence. He pointed out that decisive steps have been taken to establish the true separation of the Judiciary and Executive. The Judicial Appointment Council and the Supreme Judicial Council, two autonomous internal bodies presided over by the Chief Justice, are now fully operational and overseeing the recruitment and removal of Supreme Court Judges independently from executive interference.
The Chief Justice underscored the significance of regional seminars, noting their role in assessing new ideas and building blocks introduced for reform. He mentioned the ongoing national effort to achieve political consensus on key sectoral reform proposals, with strategic support from UNDP. This partnership has empowered District Judiciaries and Judicial Magistracies across the country to embrace and lead the reform agenda.
A notable initiative mentioned by Syed Refaat was the introduction of help lines in courts such as the Rajshahi District and Sessions, and Metropolitan Sessions Courts, as well as the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court. These were modeled after the successful Supreme Court Helpline and aligned with the Chief Justice's 12-point guidelines aimed at establishing a people-centric justice delivery system.
The Chief Justice expressed hope that the Mymensigh Seminar would advance the reform process, encouraging individual judiciaries and magistracies to become reformists and innovators. He emphasized the importance of sustainability in reform exercises and the crucial role district judiciaries and magistracies will play in shaping the future of institutional autonomy and reform.
In his welcome speech, Stefan Liller, Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh, commended the roadmap for judicial reform as a timely step towards institutionalizing the judiciary. He assured that UNDP would continue to support Bangladesh in modernizing its judiciary.