DHAKA, Oct 15, 2022 (BSS) - Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq today stressed on increasing the application of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to reduce judicial backlog.

"The country's courts are facing backlog of case due to different reasons. Application of ADR should be increased to reduce the backlog of cases at these courts and this service should be ensured quickly at lower cost," he said.

Huq was addressing as the chief guest the "Discussion on meeting the needs of justice seekers" at a hotel here.

He said consciousness raising campaign over ADR should also be carried out to encourage people to avail this service.

Successful application of ADR will put longstanding positive impact on conserving social harmony by reducing pressure of formal cases, he observed.

The discussion was organised under the initiative of peace and justice (PPJ) activity of USAID with cooperation of Democracy International.

District and session judges and legal aid officers from 20 districts joined the programme.

The law minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's one of the goals was to build a repression free welfare-oriented state to ensure justice for all.

The 1972's constitution, gifted by the Father of the Nation, guaranteed equal rights and access to justice, fundamental rights and freedom to all irrespective of castes, creeds, genders and religions, he mentioned.

Huq said the government is constitutionally pledge-bound to ensure fundamental rights and access to justice of all citizens.
 
Following his footprints of Bangabandhu, his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is providing all-out cooperation to judiciary to provide time-befitting and quality legal aid to all to ensure the people's constitutional rights, he said.

Law and Justice Division Secretary Md Golam Sarwar chaired the function while USAID Bangladesh Mission Director Kathryn Davis Stevens, USAID Promoting Peace and Justice's Chief of Party Heather Goldsmith, Dhaka District and Session Judge Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan, Law and Justice Division Joint Secretary Dr Sheikh Golam Mahbub also addressed it, among others.