Judiciary can be subjected to fair criticism: CJ

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha yesterday said the judiciary can be subjected to fair criticism if and when occasion demands like any other public institution, reports UNB.
“It’s important in a country governed by a rule of law that every decision must be made under the rule of law. Like any other public institution, the judiciary can be subjected to fair criticism if and when occasion demands,” the Chief Justice said.
He said this while addressing a workshop on Digitalisation of Bangladesh judiciary jointly organised by Bangladesh Supreme Court and UNDP at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
“But, if the criticism is illegitimate and irresponsible, it may leave to immeasurable harm to the institution of the judiciary. It’s a matter of satisfaction that the public at large continues to hold our judicial institution in high esteem despite the shortcomings. We’re aware of the great responsibility bestowed on us,” Sinha said.
He hoped that with continuous cooperation and efforts from bar, bench, governments and all other stakeholders, they will soon be able to remove the deficiencies that have crept into the system over a period of time and deliver speedy and affordable justice to our people by Digitalization of Bangladesh Judiciary.
Mentioning that the science and modern technology have a close impact on the pattern of human behaviour and lifestyle that has given rise to the disputes and offences of various natures, Sinha said to solve civil disputes and detect the perpetrators involved in commission of offences, there is no alternative to fashioning both procedural and substantive laws of the land.
He went on saying, “Apart from the same, in this era of globalisation and rapid technological developments, which is touching almost all economies and presenting new challenges and opportunities, judiciary cannot lag behind and has to be fully prepared to meet the challenges of the age.”

The law should assume a new dimension to suit the need of our IT-based modern society and it should play a dynamic role like a living organ, he added.
As per the present laws, formal Court system does not admit any digital document or electronic communication as evidence save a few special laws, the CJ said adding, “I think the time has now come to develop an affordable ICT infrastructure suitable to our legal system and integrate customize software for automation of judicial and administrative functions of the courts.”
“To achieve those objectives, we have to scrap of all existing obsolete laws and rules and they are to be enacted by complete overhauling,”the CJ said.
He further said, “When case backlog is high, case flows are unpredictable and cases take inordinately long to reach their logical ends, it is the poor, marginal and vulnerable sections of the society that suffer the most. We, therefore, need to take urgent and concerted steps towards reducing case backlogs, improving administration of our judicial systems and providing better access to our delivery systems to ensure that the fruits of development reach the last person standing.”
He also said, “We must not see ICT as a panacea that will rid of the problems by their mere adoption when we know that many fundamental and structural measures need to be taken before technology begins to play its part.” Finance Minister AMA Muhith, among others, spoke at the function.

 

Judiciary can be subjected to fair criticism: CJ

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha yesterday said the judiciary can be subjected to fair criticism if and when occasion demands like any other public institution, reports UNB. Its important in a country governed by a rule of law that every decision must be made under the rule of law. Like any other public institution, the judiciary can be subjected to fair criticism if and when occasion demands, the Chief Justice said. He said this while addressing a workshop on Digitalisation of Bangladesh judiciary jointly organised by Bangladesh Supreme Court and UNDP at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. But, if the criticism is illegitimate and irresponsible, it may leave to immeasurable harm to the institution of the judiciary. Its a matter of satisfaction that the public at large continues to hold our judicial institution in high esteem despite the shortcomings. Were aware of the great responsibility bestowed on us, Sinha said. He hoped that with continuous cooperation and efforts from bar, bench, governments and all other stakeholders, they will soon be able to remove the deficiencies that have crept into the system over a period of time and deliver speedy and affordable justice to our people by Digitalization of Bangladesh Judiciary. Mentioning that the science and modern technology have a close impact on the pattern of human behaviour and lifestyle that has given rise to the disputes and offences of various natures, Sinha said to solve civil disputes and detect the perpetrators involved in commission of offences, there is no alternative to fashioning both procedural and substantive laws of the land. He went on saying, Apart from the same, in this era of globalisation and rapid technological developments, which is touching almost all economies and presenting new challenges and opportunities, judiciary cannot lag behind and has to be fully prepared to meet the challenges of the age. The law should assume a new dimension to suit the need of our IT-based modern society and it should play a dynamic role like a living organ, he added. As per the present laws, formal Court system does not admit any digital document or electronic communication as evidence save a few special laws, the CJ said adding, I think the time has now come to develop an affordable ICT infrastructure suitable to our legal system and integrate customize software for automation of judicial and administrative functions of the courts. To achieve those objectives, we have to scrap of all existing obsolete laws and rules and they are to be enacted by complete overhauling,the CJ said. He further said, When case backlog is high, case flows are unpredictable and cases take inordinately long to reach their logical ends, it is the poor, marginal and vulnerable sections of the society that suffer the most. We, therefore, need to take urgent and concerted steps towards reducing case backlogs, improving administration of our judicial systems and providing better access to our delivery systems to ensure that the fruits of development reach the last person standing. He also said, We must not see ICT as a panacea that will rid of the problems by their mere adoption when we know that many fundamental and structural measures need to be taken before technology begins to play its part. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, among others, spoke at the function.