Bangladesh’s Courts Face Crisis: Millions Await Justice
Over 4.5 million legal cases are currently waiting for judgment in Bangladesh’s courts. This huge number shows a serious challenge for people seeking justice. For many, getting justice is a long and difficult process. It often takes years, even decades. These delays affect people’s lives deeply. They also damage trust in the legal system.
The problem of delayed justice is systemic. It comes from years of underfunding and not enough judges. Bangladesh’s population has grown, bringing more legal disagreements. Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman stated that 45 lakh cases are pending. Over 4 million cases are in lower courts. About 522,000 cases are in the High Court Division. Nearly 39,000 cases are in the Appellate Division. These are not just numbers; they represent people and families waiting for decisions.
Delayed justice hurts vulnerable people most. Families wait for property disputes to end. Victims seek compensation. Businesses need solutions for contract issues. For some, a legal victory comes so late that it no longer helps. Witnesses may disappear. Memories can fade. The cost of fighting a case can also exceed the money eventually awarded.
Consider women seeking unpaid mahr after divorce. Mahr is a payment due to a wife from her husband. A wife might have to file a new case to get this payment. This process often takes many court hearings. It can last years to receive the mahr. The money’s value might decrease over time. The emotional stress of waiting is also significant.
Famous cases show these long delays. The Banshkhali carnage case, involving family killings, is still ongoing. The murder case of journalists Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi from 2012 has no judgment yet. Land disputes are common civil cases. These can take 8 to 10 years or more to resolve. Such delays consume a large part of people’s lives.
Why do these delays happen? Frequent breaks in court sessions are one reason. Another is a shortage of judges. Bangladesh has one of the lowest numbers of judges per person in the world. Old laws and repeated case filings also slow down the process.
However, some positive steps are being taken. The National Consumer Rights Protection Department protects consumer rights. The government has also made legal changes. These allow online hearings and sending summons by SMS or voice calls. This helps speed up court work.
Bangladesh has opened 871 new courts. This created 232 new judicial jobs. Recently, the High Court Division cleared 62,637 old cases in just 12 days. These actions show hope for reducing the backlog. Such efforts must continue regularly.
Solving judicial delay needs more than just new judges or courts. It requires changes in how the legal profession and judges think. Everyone involved must understand the human cost of these delays. New technology and alternative ways to settle disputes are also being used. These offer a brighter future for justice in Bangladesh.
The saying “justice delayed is justice denied” remains very true. Justice affects millions of people. They are waiting for decisions about their families, jobs, property, and safety. A good legal system cannot ask people to wait forever. Justice must be delivered, and it must be delivered on time.
