Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman on Wednesday said the present government has taken effective initiatives to reduce longstanding civil case backlog.
"Various reform initiatives are being implemented to make the judicial process faster, more efficient and more people-friendly. Backlog of cases could be reduced and the efficiency of the judicial process enhanced through the exchange of domestic and international experiences and mutual cooperation," he said.
The minister made the remarks at a seminar titled "Addressing Delays in the Disposal of Civil Cases: Shared Experiences of Bangladesh and Japan" at Judicial Administration Training Institute (JATI). Law and Justice Division and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) jointly organized the seminar, an official release said on Wednesday.
Md Asaduzzaman said that many civil cases in Bangladesh are still pending despite having remained unresolved for many years. The prolonged pendency of these cases has increased the sufferings of litigants and placed an additional burden on the judicial system, he added.
"To address this situation, the government is implementing various reform initiatives, including modernizing the judiciary, expanding Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), introducing technology-driven judicial services, and making the judicial process simpler and more efficient," he further said.
The law minister also said the experiences and cooperation of the Japanese Ministry of Justice and international partners, including the JICA, would play a significant role in strengthening Bangladesh's judicial system.
"Such joint initiatives would create new opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and experiences between the two countries, which would make a positive contribution to enhancing the efficiency of the judicial process," he added.
Speaking as the special guest, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of Japan's Ministry of Justice, Kazunori Nose, assured that Japan would continue its cooperation in strengthening and enhancing the capacity of Bangladesh's judicial system.
The keynote papers were presented by Senior Assistant Secretary of the Law and Justice Division Syed Md Shafayet and Professor Wakazono Rei of Japan's Ministry of Justice. Project Director of the relevant project and Additional Secretary of the Law and Justice Division Md Khadem Ul Kayes chaired the seminar.