The plaintiffs and the accused suffer alike in Gazipur because of the slow progresses of their cases in the second court of joint district judge, as there is no judge appointed in that court for over two years and six months.
Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Ataur Rahman Akash said Md Ali Ahsan, the judge in first court of joint district judge, was taking decisions about cases from the second court when he could find time after conducting cases in his own court. However the first court’s judge could not do much more than taking decisions regarding bails in different cases.
Rehan Uddin, a complainant, said he was coming to the court days after days only to get new dates to appear before the court, without any progress in the prosecution because of the absence of judge.
Shuva Rani, an accused in a case lodged with the second court, from Joydebpur, complained that she was coming to the court for months and no one can say anything surely about the appointment of a judge in that court.
Md Azad Ali, assistant record keeper in the second court of joint district judge, said around 1,400 cases await verdict in that court.
Haris Uddin, a lawyer, said cases were piling up as there was no judge in the court and all the parties involved in the cases are suffering. Another lawyer Emdadul Haque Masum said it was becoming more difficult to appease the clients, who found no progress in their cases after coming to the court for years.
Shamsul Alam, former general secretary of Gazipur Lawyers’ Association, said pressure of cases awaiting verdicts is very high in this busy city. Many people were having a hard time because of the absence of judge in the court. They urged the Ministry of Law more than once to solve the crisis, but the problem prevailed, he added.