STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Despite over 74,000 pending cases in family courts across the country, the judiciary is witnessing a decisive shift towards efficiency and citizen-centric service, said Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed yesterday.
As of March 31, 2025, there were 74,259 pending cases in family courts, with 5,034 of these pending for over five years -- a “sobering figure”, he acknowledged.
The system delivered 10,089 case disposals in the first quarter of 2025 alone, said the chief justice.
“This is not coincidence; it is consequence. It is the result of judges taking initiative, bar leaders acting responsibly, and our institutional focus shifting from process to people,” he said.
He made the remarks while addressing the National Workshop on “Addressing the Procedural Bottlenecks in Family Courts for Timely Justice”, organised by BRAC’s Social Empowerment and Legal Protection (SELP) Programme at the BRAC Centre Auditorium in Dhaka.
The chief justice said Bangladesh’s legal landscape is undergoing a profound transformation.
“Recent legal and procedural reforms aim not just to modernise the justice system, but to make it more efficient, accountable, and focused on serving citizens,” he said.
He pointed to the amendment of the Legal Aid Act, which now requires mandatory mediation before filing a case.
This, he said, marks a major shift from traditional litigation to resolving disputes through mutual agreement, helping settle cases earlier and reducing pressure on the courts.
Amendments to the Civil Procedure Code have reduced procedural stages, integrated execution proceedings within the original case framework, and imposed stricter limits on adjournments to address longstanding delays, he added.
He further emphasised the need for administrative autonomy, stating, “No justice system can manage timeliness, workloads, or personnel without autonomy over its own administrative structure.”
Structural independence, he added, is essential for sustaining reforms within the judiciary and across broader governance systems.
Highlighting digital innovations,
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