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“All Citizens are Equal before Law and are Entitled to Equal Protection of Law”-Article 27 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh



Issue No: 185
April 9, 2005

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Court Corirdor
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Court Corridor

Court System in Bangladesh: An overview

The Constitution of Bangladesh provides there shall be one Supreme Court of Bangladesh comprised of two divisions, the Appellate Division and the High Court Division. The Constitution further provides that the Supreme Court shall be composed of the Chief Justice and such number of other judges, as the President deems necessary to appoint. At present there are 7 Judges of the Appellate Division and 72 Judges of the High Court Division. The Chief Justice is, by tradition, the most senior judge who has not yet attained the age of 67-the mandatory age of retirement for all judges of the Supreme Court. His term lasts as many months or years as his life span between the day of appointment and his 67th birthday.

The Appellate Division has jurisdiction to hear and determine appeals from judgements, decrees, orders or sentences of the High Court Division. An appeal to the Appellate Division lies as of right where the High Court Division (a) certifies that the case involves a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution; or (b) has sentenced a person to death or for imprisonment for life, or (c) has imposed punishment on a person for contempt of that division; and (d) in such other cases as may be provided for by Act of Parliament. In all other cases appeal lies only if the Appellate Division grants leave to appeal.

The High Court Division of the Supreme Court, which sits in Dhaka, has both original and appellate jurisdiction. It also has what is known as provisional jurisdiction. Its original jurisdiction extends to Admiralty and Company matters and other matters that may be provided by Parliament. It has special jurisdiction in writ matters for securing and protecting fundamental rights, and for providing extraordinary remedies not provide for in the lower courts. Challenges to the constitutionality of legislation and administrative orders are filed in the High Court Division. The High Court Division's revisional jurisdiction can be exercised in both civil and criminal matters originally heard before the subordinate courts.

Below the Supreme Court in the judicial hierarchy are subordinate courts, which are maintained at the District level-a territorial administrative unit. The Civil Courts Act established civil courts comprising of District Judge, Additional District Judge, Joint District Judge and Assistant District Judge. The criminal justice system is regulated by Criminal Procedure Code. The tiers of criminal court are enumerated. Therein as Sessions Judge, Additional Sessions Judge, Assistant Sessions Judges Civil Court is referred to as the District Judge Courts, and criminal courts, are referred to as the Courts of Sessions. Though the nomenclature is different the same judge function as District and Sessions Judge or in other words same judge discharge functions of civil and criminal courts. Bangladesh is divided into 64 Districts and there are 61 District Courts. The District and Sessions Judge has both original appellate and revisional jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters.

Out of 64 districts, the 3 districts of the former Chittagong Hill Tracts have a different Court system because those were administered under CHT Regulation Act 1900. Under the Regulation the Deputy Commissioner (district administrator) discharged the function of a civil court of first instance. Orders passed by the Deputy Commissioner were appeal able before the Divisional Commissioner sitting at the city of Chittagong. Against the order of the Divisional Commissioner the High Court Division had revisional jurisdiction. The Deputy Commissioner is also the District Magistrate. In such capacity he exercised jurisdiction in criminal matters. The Divisional Commissioner was the Ex officio Session Judge in respect of the criminal matters.

The Hill District Council Act was enacted in 1989 for the 3 Hill Districts namely Rangamati, Khagrachori and Bandarban. Under the regulation Act of 1900 as well as under the new Act on public demand this civil judiciary is being extended to the hill districts.

The Additional District Judge hears those cases assigned to him from the District Judge. It is at the Assistant Judge level that civil cases will generally enter the system. In addition, there are specialised courts and tribunals, ranging from income tax to labour courts. There are approximately 760 members of the subordinate judiciary.

On the criminal side, most cases are initially tried before magistrates, although by statute the Sessions Judge has original jurisdiction to try these criminal matters attracting higher conviction. There are approximately 1300 magistrates in Bangladesh; of these approximately 600 perform judicial work in the criminal courts. Magistrates are not required to be law graduates and may have received little or no formal legal training. They are under the supervision and control of the Ministry of Establishment (civil service), and the Supreme Court does not have any involvement in their selection or supervision. The magistrates, while discharging judicial functions, are now posted and supervised by the Supreme Court.

The control of the judges' career path, including the power of appointment, posting, promotion, grant of leave, and discipline has been vested in the President. Notwithstanding that the Supreme Court maintains all records of a judge's career and activities for supervision and evaluation purposes, in practice it as been the Ministry of Law that controls the career of the judges. The issue of separation of the judiciary from the executive organ of the state has been the subject of litigation that finally ended in December 1999 with a clear Appellate Division judgement requiring that the administration of the judiciary be separated from the executive. To date, the job remains to be accomplished. One of the thorny issues is how to treat the approximately 600 magistrates who are performing judicial work; and to whom their control and supervision shall be assigned and how and at what level would they be absorbed.

For the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the President for an initial term of two years and if their performance is satisfactory they may be confirmed. Judges of the Appellate Division are elevated from the High Court Division. In all judicial appointments, there is a requirement of consultation with the Chief Justice of Bangladesh. As a matter of practice and not as requirement, approximately 2/3 of the High Court Judges come from the Bar and 1/3 are appointed from the lower judiciary.

Courtesy: Odhikar.

 
 
 


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