Executive, judiciary, legislature must get along: President

Present position of judiciary is better than ever, says law minister

President M Abdul Hamid yesterday emphasised the need for cooperation among the three organs of the state—the executive, legislature, and the judiciary—to establish the rule of law in the country. “There is no alternative to democracy and good governance. It is very important to maintain good relations and coordination among the legislature, executive, and the judiciary,” Hamid observed at a function to mark Supreme Court Day on the court premises.

Attending the programme as a special guest, law minister Anisul Huq said that in the 46-year history of the judiciary, the SC has played a fantastic role to ensure the rule of law in the country.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the present government is now giving more importance to the judiciary and working for its development, he claimed.

“We are working for the development of the judiciary. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is determined to remove poverty and develop the country by establishing the rule of law in the country. An independent judiciary is an integral part of this development. Hence, we need to reach this desired goal,” the minister said.

Huq also said that the apex court has delivered many historic judgments to ensure justice and the rule of law in the country. The Bangabandhu murder case, the jail murders case, the war crimes cases, and the cancelling of the Indemnity Ordinance by the SC are unforgettable, the minister added.

In his speech, the President asked the judicial authorities to make case management more dynamic by using more information technology (IT).

He said the ‘online cause-list’ and the ‘online bail confirmation system’ have already been introduced to the SC. Now, steps have to be taken to digitise all activities of the judiciary, he added.

He recalled the significant role of lawyers in establishing justice and the rule of law, and hoped that they (lawyers) would help ensure quick justice for the litigants with their “talent, intelligence, wisdom, honesty, and sincerity”.

“The role of the SC is very important in upholding democracy, ensuring socio-cultural progress, and establishing the rule of law,” said the President.

He also recalled the contribution of apex court judges who did not bow before guns, and instead, tried their best to establish the rule of law across the country.

In a long statement, the law minister claimed that the judiciary is now totally independent. “The present position of the judiciary is better than ever. But we had to wait for a long time to reach this situation,” he added.

“We have to remember that no case was filed even 21 years after the murder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members on the fateful night of August 15, 1975. Rather, an Indemnity Ordinance promulgated that the trial could not take place. The then SC took no initiative on the basis of any public interest litigation; nor did it issue any suo-motu rule to erase this black law from the history of the country,” the minister noted.

“We have seen judges losing their job through the Martial Law. We have also seen seven judges of the High Court Division feeling embarrassed during the Bangabandhu murder trial. Despite all these, the SC is now in a good position and is working independently,” he added.

The judiciary was separated from the executive on November 1, 2007. After that, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has started taking many effective initiatives to ensure the independence of the judiciary so that it can work properly, the minister added.

“Following the Prime Minister’s directive, we have started working to solve the crisis of courtrooms. We have started building a 10-storey building called the ‘Chief Judicial Magistrate Bhaban’ in every district. Steps will be taken to build a 12-storey SC building and a 15-storey building for the Bar Council,” the minister stated.

“We have granted legal assistance to the poor under the National Legal Aid in accordance with the prime minister’s directives. Poor people can get legal assistance for free,” he noted.

Acting Chief Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, attorney general Mahabubey Alam, Bangladesh Bar Council vice-chairman Abdul Baset Mojumder, SC Bar Association president Joynul Abedin, and Judges’ Committee president Justice Mirza Hossain Haider also spoke at the programme.

Judges, senior lawyers, and senior civil and military officials were present on the occasion.

Executive, judiciary, legislature must get along: President

Present position of judiciary is better than ever, says law minister

President M Abdul Hamid yesterday emphasised the need for cooperation among the three organs of the statethe executive, legislature, and the judiciaryto establish the rule of law in the country. There is no alternative to democracy and good governance. It is very important to maintain good relations and coordination among the legislature, executive, and the judiciary, Hamid observed at a function to mark Supreme Court Day on the court premises. Attending the programme as a special guest, law minister Anisul Huq said that in the 46-year history of the judiciary, the SC has played a fantastic role to ensure the rule of law in the country. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the present government is now giving more importance to the judiciary and working for its development, he claimed. We are working for the development of the judiciary. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is determined to remove poverty and develop the country by establishing the rule of law in the country. An independent judiciary is an integral part of this development. Hence, we need to reach this desired goal, the minister said. Huq also said that the apex court has delivered many historic judgments to ensure justice and the rule of law in the country. The Bangabandhu murder case, the jail murders case, the war crimes cases, and the cancelling of the Indemnity Ordinance by the SC are unforgettable, the minister added. In his speech, the President asked the judicial authorities to make case management more dynamic by using more information technology (IT). He said the online cause-list and the online bail confirmation system have already been introduced to the SC. Now, steps have to be taken to digitise all activities of the judiciary, he added. He recalled the significant role of lawyers in establishing justice and the rule of law, and hoped that they (lawyers) would help ensure quick justice for the litigants with their talent, intelligence, wisdom, honesty, and sincerity. The role of the SC is very important in upholding democracy, ensuring socio-cultural progress, and establishing the rule of law, said the President. He also recalled the contribution of apex court judges who did not bow before guns, and instead, tried their best to establish the rule of law across the country. In a long statement, the law minister claimed that the judiciary is now totally independent. The present position of the judiciary is better than ever. But we had to wait for a long time to reach this situation, he added. We have to remember that no case was filed even 21 years after the murder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members on the fateful night of August 15, 1975. Rather, an Indemnity Ordinance promulgated that the trial could not take place. The then SC took no initiative on the basis of any public interest litigation; nor did it issue any suo-motu rule to erase this black law from the history of the country, the minister noted. We have seen judges losing their job through the Martial Law. We have also seen seven judges of the High Court Division feeling embarrassed during the Bangabandhu murder trial. Despite all these, the SC is now in a good position and is working independently, he added. The judiciary was separated from the executive on November 1, 2007. After that, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has started taking many effective initiatives to ensure the independence of the judiciary so that it can work properly, the minister added. Following the Prime Ministers directive, we have started working to solve the crisis of courtrooms. We have started building a 10-storey building called the Chief Judicial Magistrate Bhaban in every district. Steps will be taken to build a 12-storey SC building and a 15-storey building for the Bar Council, the minister stated. We have granted legal assistance to the poor under the National Legal Aid in accordance with the prime ministers directives. Poor people can get legal assistance for free, he noted. Acting Chief Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, attorney general Mahabubey Alam, Bangladesh Bar Council vice-chairman Abdul Baset Mojumder, SC Bar Association president Joynul Abedin, and Judges Committee president Justice Mirza Hossain Haider also spoke at the programme. Judges, senior lawyers, and senior civil and military officials were present on the occasion.