The directives the Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique has made on conducting the activities of the judiciary during a recent address, which if followed will not only enhance the prestige of the judiciary but also reduce the suffering of the people seeking justice. At the felicitation event on Sunday, he said, "I would like to convey to all those involved in the judicial process that we will not entertain the slightest indulgence to any evil in the judiciary. Corruption is a cancer. If cancer infects a finger, the best way to keep safe is to cut off the finger. I will not compromise on corruption."
The chief justice made this remark when many questions have been lingering on people’s minds about the judiciary. It is conceivable that the chief justice took them into account and declared his firm conviction to stop corruption in the judiciary. At the same time, he sought the cooperation of all concerned to eradicate opaqueness, irregularities and incompetence of all branches of the Supreme Court.
The newly-appointed chief justice did not limit his words within advices only. He also said that a separate committee would be formed to resolve the case, bring transparency and dynamism in the judicial process and investigate irregularities.
Institutional measures are more important than personal goodwill or efforts to stop corruption and irregularities in any organisation or department. We hope that the monitoring cell proposed by the chief justice will be formed very soon.
The chief justice sought the cooperation of the executive and the legislature in resolving the problems of the judiciary. In his words, "the state cannot be strong if one of its three organs is weak or problematic." Former chief justice Syed Mahmud Hossain also spoke about the problems of the judiciary, especially the shortage of judges. He insisted on doubling the number of judges.
The chief justice has highlighted another important issue. He welcomed any constructive discussion and criticism of the judiciary within the framework of the law. We appreciate his statement. In the past, there have been cases of harassment of media and journalists due to criticism of court rulings or orders. We hope that after this statement of the chief justice, the attitude of the judiciary towards the critique will also change significantly.
When the chief justice is trying to give a new impetus to the judiciary, the logjam in pending cases in the judiciary has not abated. There is a shortage of judges from the High Court to the lower court. There are infrastructural problems. The judges take turn in district levels as there are not enough courtrooms. There is a shortage of judges in the High Court and Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
The Appellate Division has only four judges, including the chief justice. Due to this, the trial is going on in one bench of the Appellate Division. In 2009, there were nine judges, with three benches conducting the proceedings. It is important to appoint a new judge in the Appellate Division for speedy disposal of pending cases.