Country’s first ODR centre inaugurated in Khulna

The country’s first Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Centre was inaugurated at the Paikgachha Chawki Court in Khulna on Friday, aiming to make legal assistance and dispute settlement more accessible to people living in remote areas.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Khulna Senior District and Sessions Judge Chand Mohammad Abdul Alim Al Razi said nearly 4 million cases are currently pending in Bangladesh, making alternative dispute resolution (ADR) essential to reducing the mounting case backlog.

The ODR centre has been launched by Friendship, a non-governmental development organisation, with support from the Department of Legal Aid.

According to the latest data from the Supreme Court, around 4 million cases are pending across the country, while district courts have 1,964 judges. Of them, around 200 are serving in various deputation posts, leaving an even smaller number directly involved in judicial proceedings, the judge said.

“It is almost impossible to dispose of such a huge number of cases quickly through the conventional legal process with such a limited number of judges,” he said.

He noted that mediation, ADR and compromise are available both before and after filing a case under several laws, including the Code of Civil Procedure, the Money Loan Courts Act, the Family Courts Ordinance, labour court laws and the Legal Aid Services Act.

In many cases, he said, ADR has also been made mandatory.
The judge said court proceedings generally result in one party winning and the other losing, whereas mediation allows both sides to compromise and reach a mutually acceptable settlement.

“This not only helps settle disputes permanently, but also creates an opportunity to preserve neighbourhood, family and business relationships,” he said.

He further said litigation can take years as cases move from lower courts to appellate courts, the High Court Division, the Appellate Division and through revision proceedings.

“If small and compoundable disputes can be settled through mediation before or after filing cases, it will help reduce the case backlog and save litigants time, money and hardship,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of ODR in remote areas such as Paikgachha, the judge said it takes around two hours to travel from Khulna city to Paikgachha by road.

“For people living in more remote areas, including Koyra, travelling to the district town to access legal services is even more difficult,” he said.

He welcomed Friendship’s initiative and called for the programme to be expanded to Koyra and other remote areas of Khulna so that marginalised people can access legal assistance and dispute resolution services from their own communities.

Speaking virtually at the event, Manzurul Hossain, director general of the Department of Legal Aid, said ODR is an important and timely initiative to make access to justice easier, faster and more affordable for people in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

“One of the key advantages of ODR is that it can reduce the barriers created by geographical distance,” he said.

However, he stressed that ODR is not a substitute for the judicial system but rather a complementary mechanism to make existing legal aid and mediation services more effective and people-centred.

Ayesha Tasnim Khan, senior director of Friendship and head of its Inclusive Citizenship programme, chaired the event.

She said many people in marginalised areas such as Paikgachha remain deprived of legal assistance and dispute resolution services because of geographical distance, travel costs and financial constraints.

“The main objective of Friendship’s ODR Centre is to use technology to overcome these barriers and bring access to justice to people’s doorsteps,” she said.

The pilot centre will enable people in climate-vulnerable and marginalised communities to receive legal advice and access appropriate dispute resolution services without having to travel to distant district towns, she added.

Khulna District Legal Aid Officer M Romana Afroz attended the event as a special guest. Advocate Ashikuzzaman, assistant general manager (Law) of Friendship’s Inclusive Citizenship programme, presented the centre’s activities.

Among others, Paikgachha Chawki Court Judicial Magistrate Masum Billah, Civil Judge Hazrat Ali, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Wasiuzzaman Chowdhury and Paikgachha Bar Association President Advocate GM Abdus Sattar were present.

The centre, established under Friendship’s Inclusive Citizenship programme with support from the Department of Legal Aid, will allow parties involved in eligible disputes to participate in virtual mediation through a designated digital platform.

As a result, people from remote areas will no longer need to repeatedly travel to district headquarters solely to settle disputes, officials said. The initiative is expected to save time, money and labour while providing faster and easier access to dispute resolution.

Friendship works to improve the lives of disadvantaged and remote communities across Bangladesh through programmes in healthcare, education, inclusive citizenship, climate action, sustainable economic development and cultural heritage preservation.

Its Inclusive Citizenship programme focuses on raising awareness of rights among marginalised communities and improving their access to government services and institutions. The new ODR Centre is part of that effort to make legal aid and dispute resolution services more accessible to people in remote areas.