DHAKA, Sept 25, 2025 (BSS) – Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed today vowed to implement cent percent the roadmap announced for bringing reform to the judiciary.   

“--- the reform journey we began has not faltered but advanced with a determination nearing one hundred percent implementation --- a roadmap which is designed to answer the voice of the people. That voice, resounding in July and August 2024, demanded that justice must be lived, visible, and felt,” he said.

He was addressing a regional seminar on Judicial Independence and Efficiency as the chief guest at Grand Park Hotel in Barishal district, said a press release. 

The Chief Justice said he had announced the roadmap for judiciary one year ago in the Inner Garden of the Supreme Court in presence of the judges of the apex court of the country and judges of district judiciaries and magistracies. 

“From the outset, my purpose was singular; to restore the lost confidence of our people in their judiciary. This could not be achieved by rhetoric alone. It required tangible change, transparent systems, accountable institutions, and the moral courage to reform ourselves before reforming others,” he said. 

Thus, on September 21, 2024, I pledged before the nation that judicial independence, efficiency, and institutional excellence would no longer remain distant aspirations, he added. 

Instead, they would be converted into an actionable framework; short-term steps to heal the immediate wounds, medium-term measures to consolidate gains, and long-term structures to safeguard our future, the Chief Justice said.

“Over this past year, I am proud to say, the roadmap has been translated into lived reality. It has reshaped the culture of our courts, the expectations of our citizens, and the credibility of our institutions,” he said.

Appellate Division, Supreme Court of Bangladesh Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke, Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh, Nicolas Weeks, Ambassador of Norway to Bangladesh Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen, EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Bangladesh, Michael Miller, Resident Representative, UNDP Bangladesh Stefan Liller and Registrar General of Bangladesh Supreme Court Mohammad Habibur Rahman Siddiquee, among others, were present. 

 

For decades, jurists, scholars, and citizens alike voiced the universal demand for an open, credible, and collegium-based system of appointing judges to the apex court, the Chief Justice said.  

“That aspiration has now been realized through the enactment of the Supreme Judicial Appointment Council Ordinance, 2025. This landmark legislation has created, for the first time in our history, a Supreme Judicial Appointment Council, a collegium entrusted to recommend candidates solely on the basis of merit, integrity, and efficiency,” he said. 

With the passage of this Ordinance, opacity has given way to institutional transparency, the once-closed corridors of judicial appointments are now illuminated by the principles of fairness and accountability, he said. 

Already, two successful appointments (both Appellate Division and High Court Division) have been carried out under this framework, standing as concrete proof that a long-awaited national consensus has been translated into law, and that judicial independence is being fortified through a process worthy of public trust, he said.
The Chief Justice said the groundwork for a separate Supreme Court Secretariat is nearly complete. 

“With active cooperation of the Interim Government and in compliance with constitutional obligations, we are moving towards ending dual administration over postings, transfers, and discipline. This will enshrine true autonomy, a structural correction long overdue,” he said.

Through the revival of the Supreme Judicial Council, Bangladesh has restored the constitutional mechanism for discipline and removal of the Supreme Court Judges which was absent for a decade. Several cases have already been addressed, proving that no robe shields one from accountability, he said.

Dr Ahmed said introduction of two paper-free benches in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, digital filing in two Family Courts, and nationwide help-lines in all 64 districts has transformed the culture of justice delivery in Bangladesh. 

What was once a distant, bureaucratic process has now become more transparent, responsive, and accessible to ordinary citizens, he said. 

The Supreme Court help-lines, in particular, have emerged as a lifeline for litigants and service-seekers, ensuring that grievances are heard, information is available, and accountability is enforced, he opined. 

“Reports in the national press testify to their growing use and effectiveness, highlighting how these channels are not symbolic, but actively reshaping the way justice is delivered. They have given people, for the first time, a direct line to the highest court of the land breaking down barriers of fear, distance, and delay,” he said.

Another milestone of the CJB's reform roadmap was reached with the promulgation of two seminal sets of Rules in 2025, the Rules on Posting in the Law and Justice Division and the Rules on Judicial Service Construction, the Chief Justice said. 

“Together, these rules mark a decisive advance in consolidating the autonomy of the judiciary,” he said. 

For decades, he said judges faced uncertainty and vulnerability arising from opaque or externally influenced processes of posting and dependent on creation of posts for judges. 

“By enacting clear, principled, and time-bound procedures, these rules have placed the power of judicial career progression within a transparent institutional framework, he said.  

“Far from being a technical adjustment, these Rules of 2025 have broader visions as they affirm that the judiciary will govern its own house, administer its own service, and maintain integrity through self-regulation. In this respect, they are both fundamental legal achievement. Meanwhile, we have advanced reforms for separating civil and criminal jurisdictions, and expanded the district judiciary with 232 new posts. These are not cosmetic changes, they will directly address backlog, delay, and inefficiency,” he said.

The Chief Justice said Bangladesh’s growing economy demands a justice system that can match its pace.

Complex commercial disputes cannot remain entangled in the general docket; they require a dedicated forum with speed, skill, and certainty, he said, adding that it was with this vision that the Supreme Court, under the roadmap, prepared the draft Commercial Court Ordinance, 2025, a forward-looking framework shaped through research, consultation, and comparative study.

“The proposal, now placed before the government, offers not only specialized courts but also streamlined procedures, trained judges, and technology-driven processes designed to deliver swift, predictable outcomes,” he said. 

 

In doing so, the judiciary has not waited for reform to arrive; it has designed reform and placed it at the nation’s doorstep, the Chief Justice said. 

“This Ordinance, once enacted, will be a game-changer, unlocking confidence for investors and will strengthen Bangladesh’s ease-of-business environment. Each such step serves as a building block for structural reform, thereby, solidifying the essence of institutional autonomy,” he opined. 

The Chief Justice said from Bangkok to Dubai, from Johannesburg to Sao Paulo, the judiciary of Bangladesh has carried the banner of reform and independence. 

In dialogue with Chief Justices worldwide, he said that he has pledged that Bangladesh judiciary shall not be parochial, it shall be comparative, open, and global in its vision. 

“Today, I stand in the presence of high commissioner and ambassadors who have been persistent friends of our judiciary. Your Excellencies, your presence is more than ceremonial. It is a declaration that Bangladesh does not walk this journey alone,” he said.

The Chief Justice said that this vision of reform calls for something beyond technical competence; it calls for judicial statesmanship. 

“Our own history teaches us both the power and the perils of this role. There have been moments when the judiciary has been the only fully functioning organ of the state, standing as the last guardian of the Constitution,” he said. 

That legacy is a source of pride, but it is also a warning, when the judiciary falters, through complacency within or compromise from without, the entire constitutional structure is imperiled, he said. 

“The measure of our statesmanship lies in our ability to protect the court’s legitimacy by delivering justice that is principled yet sensitive to its reception, that is decisive yet mindful of its long-term consequences,” he said.