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Friday | October 30, 2026 | Dhaka

Bangladesh launches first E-Family appeal court

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:09 AM, 30 October 2026

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman has called for faster case disposal and stronger public confidence in the judicial system, citing a backlog of more than 46 lakh cases across the country.

“More than 46 lakh cases are pending across the country, and disposing of this huge backlog with only 2,300 judges is a formidable challenge,” he said, stressing the need for judicial activism and proactive judges in districts with heavy caseloads.

He made the remarks while inaugurating a new E-Family Court and the country’s first E-Family Appeal Court at the conference room of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court Building on Thursday.

The minister said the government had received reports that some courts operated for only two to three hours a day. Lawyers had also reported that judges in some courts arrived at 11am and finished their work by 1:30pm or 2pm, he added.

Asaduzzaman said judicial officers seeking comfortable postings could be assigned to places where they could “work at ease”.

He expressed hope that young judicial officers would expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the judicial system.

The minister also urged journalists to report irregularities at court premises and offer suggestions for improvement, assuring them that the government would welcome their feedback.

He said the government was considering digitising the recording of statements and the appearance of accused persons in court, where permitted by existing law.

Transporting accused persons from prisons to courts on scheduled dates required extensive movement, vehicles and security arrangements, keeping an entire sector engaged from morning until night, he said.

The International Crimes Tribunal has already introduced a digital attendance system on a pilot basis for some accused persons, the minister said. Under the system, accused persons remain in prison while the court observes them remotely, officials confirm their attendance, and the court formally verifies it digitally.

Asaduzzaman also said the government had consulted different sectors and incorporated their views and recommendations into the Human Rights Commission Act and the law concerning enforced disappearances.

On amendments to the Cyber Security Act, formerly known as the Digital Security Act, he said the government had emphasised broader public consultation because of the law’s close links to public interests and freedom of expression.

The proposed amendments were opened for public consultation to collect opinions from different quarters, he said. Arguments both for and against the law had emerged, while the international community was also discussing the issue with the government.

He said the government was considering all aspects of the matter.
Law and Justice Division Secretary Liaquet Ali Molla, Supreme Court Registrar General Mohammad Habibur Rahman Siddiquee, Dhaka District and Sessions Judge Md Rafikul Islam, and Dhaka Bar Association President Anwar Zahid Bhuiyan, among others, attended the event.