Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has said that public interest litigation is now playing a crucial role in advancing human rights and equality for the underprivileged and disenfranchised.
It has changed the way people regard the judiciary, he said on Saturday, adding that it empowers the court to tackle grievances that would otherwise not be addressed.
The chief justice made the remarks while addressing a seminar organized by the Supreme Court Online Bulletin (SCOB) at the apex court's auditorium.
Supreme Court Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, also the SCOB editor, presented the keynote paper at the seminar, titled “Standing in Public Interest Litigation: An Outline.”
Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain addresses a seminar organized by the Supreme Court Online Bulletin (SCOB) at the apex court's auditorium in Dhaka on Saturday, January 4, 2020 | Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune
Addressing the event, Chief Justice Mahmud said, with reference to a case filed with the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in 1996, Mohiuddin Farooq vs Bangladesh, that it had for the first time begun the process of expanding the judiciary's role in public interest litigation.
He said public interest litigation enables broader community or public interests to be recognized and enforced by the judicial process.
Emphasizing its role in establishing social justice, the chief justice said public interest litigation has greater potential than private rights litigation in addressing the systemic nature of many human rights violations.
This judicial process is highly regarded. However, public attention must not influence judges. The inviolability and credibility of the judicial process must be upheld, he said.
The chief justice also added that in public interest litigation where the community at large has some economic or legal interest, the power and scope of the judiciary granted by the constitution must be exercised based on the law, and justice for the greater good of the people. “We have to play a critical role in the overall development of our nation."
Among others, Supreme Court’s Appellate Division Justice Muhammad Imman Ali and High Court Division Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif were also present at the event.
