Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has said that 2025 will be a 'year of new beginnings' for the judiciary of Bangladesh through the steps taken to implement the announced roadmap.
“This year, the judiciary of Bangladesh will be completely free from the influence of the executive division and enjoy the benefits of institutional independence. Through this, the judiciary will be able to fulfill the aspirations of the July-August Revolution by dedicating itself to the service of the people as an independent organ of the state,” he said.
The Chief Justice said this in a message issued on the occasion of the English New Year. A notification sent by the Supreme Court's Public Relations Officer Shafiqul Islam on Tuesday provided information about the Chief Justice's message.
The notification said that Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed took oath as the 25th Chief Justice of Bangladesh on August 11. After assuming office as the Chief Justice, he announced a roadmap for reforms to restore the lost trust of the people in the judiciary. The roadmap, announced on September 21, outlines various short-term, medium-term and long-term plans to ensure meaningful reforms in the judiciary.
In the notification, the Supreme Court said that as part of the implementation of these plans, significant progress has already been made in establishing a separate secretariat for the judiciary, forming an independent council for the appointment of high court judges, and formulating transfer and posting policies for subordinate court judges. In addition, the Supreme Judicial Council of Bangladesh has been reconstituted under the leadership of the Chief Justice of Bangladesh in the wake of the final disposal of the review petition of the 16th Amendment.
The notification further said the Chief Justice has already taken various initiatives to ensure transparency and accountability of judicial services for the justice seekers by eliminating all forms of corruption from the judiciary as soon as possible. In particular, the implementation of the Chief Justice's twelve-point directives to improve the quality of services of the Bangladesh Supreme Court has begun. As part of this, monitoring meetings are being organized every month under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice. At that meeting, the concerned officials report on the steps taken to simplify the services of their respective departments.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
