Amendment of Civil Procedure Code is underway to ease judicial process and reduce backlog
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Haque said that the Ministry of Law is working to update the Civil Procedure Code of 1908 in order to simplify the judicial process and reduce the congestion of cases.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the project ‘Development of Mediation and Civil Litigation Practices for Enhancement of Access to Justice’, which was undertaken with the financial and technical support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at Hotel Intercontinental in the capital todaySay these things.Highlighting the various activities undertaken by the Ministry of Law to ensure equal access to justice for the people, the Law Minister said, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman dreamed of building a ‘just and egalitarian society’ by establishing the rule of law, basic human rights, equality and justice. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government is working tirelessly to realize this dream of BangabandhuTo ensure access to justice for all citizens, various steps have been taken including the establishment of legal aid offices across the country, the introduction of legal aid programs at government expense, and the introduction of alternative dispute resolution methods in the judicial process.
He said that the legal aid officers have recovered 180 crore 45 lakh 27 thousand 425 rupees from July 2015 to March 2024 only through alternative dispute resolution, which benefited 2 lakh 12 thousand 359 people.
Anisul Haque said that various laws and regulations have been amended to make alternative dispute resolution system more successful and effective. A project titled ‘Development of Mediation and Civil Litigation Practices for Enhancement of Access to Justice’ has been undertaken with the financial and technical support of JICA for improved mediation practices. The project will work to ensure citizens’ access to justice by improving the mediation process and will assist in eliminating the causes of delay in settlement of civil cases in a properly identified manner.
The minister said that the training and capacity building project included training programs to enhance the skills and knowledge of mediators, judges and legal aid officers in Bangladesh and Japan.
This project will be marked as a milestone in increasing access to justice in Bangladesh, Mr. Haque said the project will be implemented in Narsingdi and Comilla as pilot districts, where emphasis will be placed on training of mediators and legal aid officers and development of effective case management system. Under the project, emphasis will be placed on increasing public awareness and public involvement at all levels, including marginalized communities, with a view to making mediation a popular method of dispute resolution.
Mr. Iwama Kiminori, Japanese Ambassador appointed to Bangladesh, spoke as a special guest at the event under the chairmanship of Law and Justice Department Secretary Md. Golam Sarwar. Project Director (Joint Secretary) Umme Kulsum, Project Chief Advisor (Expert) Fujioka Takuro (Mr.) also spoke at the eventFujioka Takuro). Officials of Law and Judiciary Department, Bangladesh Supreme Court, various government offices and development aid organizations were present on the occasion.