President M Abdul Hamid today asked the three state organs to work in unison laying priority to the welfare of the country and its people addressing a function to mark the Supreme Court Day.
“We have to bear in mind that no activity of any state organ hampers the function of others or hinders the national interest,” he told the function hosted by Acting Chief Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah on the Supreme Court (SC) premises.
The President urged the Supreme Court judges to deliver their tasks with utmost caution as they hold the crucial authority of “judicial review”.
He said the higher judiciary role was very important in flourishing democracy, ensuring socio-cultural progress and consolidating rule of law and lauded its outstanding performance that had helped restoration of people’s democratic rights particularly through declaring void the fifth and seventh constitutional amendments.
The President also appreciated the apex courts judges as they did not bow their heads to the guns of the vested quarter and rather tried their level best to establish the rule of law in the country.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq, Attorney General Mahabubey Alam, Bangladesh Bar Council Vice Chairman Abdul Baset Mojumder, Supreme Court Bar Association president Joynul Abedin and judges committee president justice Mirza Hossain Haider also spoke at the function.
The president asked the judiciary to bring dynamism in case management by using the facilities of Information Technology (IT).
“Necessary steps will have to be taken to carry out official activities of countrywide courts in digital system,” he said while addressing a function on the premises of Bangladesh Supreme Court (SC) marking the Supreme Court Day.
Noting that the “online cause-list” was introduced in the Supreme Court and the “online bail confirmation system” appeared effective there, the President put emphasis on digitizing all files and records as the “Supreme Court is the Court of Records” as well.
President Hamid also asked the SC administration to take pragmatic steps for preserving all the activities from filing cases to pronouncing judgments in digital system.
“Measures can be taken to produce the accused before court from the jail and take deposition of witnesses through videoconferencing. The Supreme Court will have to be active to implement the e-Judiciary in days to come as the government is very sincere about it,” he said.
President Hamid also recalled the significant role of lawyers in establishing justice and the rule of law, and hoped that they would help ensure quick justice for the litigants with their talent, intelligence, wisdom, honesty and sincerity.
“There is no alternative to democracy and good governance for the advancement . . . Maintaining good relations and coordination among legislature, executive and judiciary is very urgent”, President Hamid said.
At the outset of his speech, the President paid rich tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who presented a Constitution on November 4, 1972, aimed at building hunger and poverty free Bangladesh with no discrimination between the rich and the poor.
Judges, senior lawyers, high civil and military officials were present on the occasion.
Earlier, the acting CJ and other judges welcomed the president on his arrival on the SC premises, where he planted a Spanish Cherry sapling.
