Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique on Thursday said that the judiciary of Bangladesh is constantly working to uphold the spirit of the Constitution and ensure justice.
He made the remark during the inauguration of ‘Bijoy Ekattor’, a 12-storey building constructed on the premises of the Supreme Court.
“The judges are trying their best with honesty, talent and hard work to reduce the case backlog and send the distressed justice-seeking people back home from the court premises as soon as possible.”
“I have instructed every judge and other officials to treat everyone humanely. Taking advantage of the plight of the people in the court premises will never be tolerated,” he said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 12-storey building virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq, Attorney General Abu Mohammad Amin Uddin Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Md Golam Sarwar, former chief justices, justices of the supreme courts, eminent lawyers, among others, were present at the inaugural ceremony.
Addressing the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice said, "You know, bar and bench are the two wings of a bird. A strong bar is essential for a strong judiciary. The current number of lawyers in the Bangladesh Supreme Court is 9302. It is almost impossible to accommodate them in the bar buildings we have now.”
“We all have a responsibility to give them an opportunity to seat in the bar buildings so that they can work properly. That is why it is absolutely necessary to build a new building for the bar members,” he said.
“It is imperative to build a multi-storied building to preserve the records of the Supreme Court cases. It's our Constitutional mandate to preserve the records of the cases. We are preserving millions of records, including the records of undivided India. Now the record rooms have not enough spaces to preserve new records,” he added.
In addition, a multi-storey administrative building needs to be constructed, said the CJ adding that they cannot provide seats for their officers and staff. The Chief Justice sought cooperation from the Prime Minister in the construction of these two buildings.