About 36 lakh lawsuits filed for disputes over minor issues in the 12 city corporation areas are pending in the court. This problem has been created as there is less than one judge for every 1 lakh city dwellers. Therefore, experts demand new law to settle petty disputes at the city corporations.
These opinions emerged at a virtual discussion session on "City Court Act: Proposed Outline and Possibility of Implementation", on Saturday. The programme jointly organised by the Madaripur Legal Aid Association (MLAA, the Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and Nagorik Uddyog.
MLAA Chief Coordinator Khan Mohammad Shahid in his keynote pointed that only one judge has been appointed to resolve about 1883 cases. Therefore, it takes at least 2 years to settle one case.
As a result, the city residents face financial losses, harassment and various adversities in the courts. That's why people are more interested in local settlement of petty disputes for quick resolution.
The research paper also mentioned that Conciliation of Dispute (Municipal areas) Board Act, 2004 is more often used by peoples who want to settle petty disputes and not seek help from court to save money and reduce harassment.
As of now, no law has been enacted to resolve petty disputes between citizens in the city corporation areas.
Fazlul Haque, Secretary, MLAA, gave examples of dispute resolution at local level and explained why a law is required to settle disputes in the city corporation areas.
Architect Iqbal Habib thinks that local level dispute resolution will play a big role in urban management. To ensure inclusive urban benefits, city courts will create opportunities for equitable and social services.
ZI Khan Panna, Advocate, Bangladesh Supreme Court, thinks that the use of the term "city court" involves various processes, including the appointment of judges and lawyers.
Prof TofailAhmed, local governance expert, agreed with the statement, saying the process should be considered as an alternative dispute resolution system.
Zakir Hossain, Chief Executive, Nagorik Uddyog, also highlighted that to ensure people's access to justice and overall rethinking of governance system is required.
The experts said village court resolves petty disputes of the people at the union level. Although, there is no such law for about 20 million people living in 12 city corporations of the country. Therefore, the new law is needed to settle petty disputes at the city corporation.
