At least 4,203,516 cases are currently pending with the courts across the country for disposal while the number of such cases has increased during the two-year-long pandemic period taking it to a staggering 518,788 cases causing immense sufferings to the justice seekers.
The total number of backlog cases was 3,684,728 in all types of courts across the country till December 31 in 2019. But, till December 31 of 2021, it mounted to a total of 4,203,516 cases in all types of courts across the country, Supreme Court
sources said.
During the two-year pandemic period a total of 518,788 cases have been added to the previous backlog, sources said.
According to the Supreme Court sources, till December 31 of 2021, a total of 4,203,516 backlog of cases were pending with the courts across the country. Among these cases, a total of 16,172 cases were pending with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court and a total of 512,576 cases were pending with the High Court Division while a total of 3,674,768 cases were pending with the subordinate courts and tribunals of the country for disposal.
As of December 31 in 2020, a total of 3,933,186 cases were pending with the country's courts - 3,464,998 of them with subordinate courts, 452,963 with the High Court and 15,225 with the Appellate Division, according to official statistics.
According to the Supreme Court statistics, as of December 31 in 2019, a total of 3,684,728 cases were pending for disposal before all types of courts across the country. Among these cases, a total of 23,617 cases were pending with the Appellate Division and a total of 489,068 cases were pending with the High Court Division for disposal while a total of 3,172,043 case backlogs were pending with the subordinate courts and tribunals for disposal.
A high official of the Supreme Court on condition of anonymity said that crisis of judges increased the case backlogs at the courts of the country in the last few years and Covid-19 pandemic restrictions turned the situation graver, causing immense sufferings to the justice seekers.
Pending cases are not only a great source of suffering to justice seekers, but are also a problem for courts since they can increase workloads and take up space and resources, the official noted.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Shah Monjurul Hoque said if the case backlog continues to go up, the fundamental rights of the citizens will be violated.
It is high time to take immediate steps to ensure best use of the existing resources, increase their efficiency and remove procedural complexities to get rid of the pending cases, he said.
Eminent lawyer of the Supreme Court Advocate Muhammad Yusuf Hossain Humayun said there is an urgent need for appointing some judges at the high Court as it is facing a severe shortage of judges.
The senior lawyer also stressed the need for digitalisation of the case management system in order to faster case disposal and reducing the sufferings of the litigants.
During a court proceedings, the former Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain during his tenure expressed concerns over the number of pending cases in the Supreme Court, saying case backlog has reached a critical state.
There is not enough space for keeping files in the Supreme Court, due to the huge number of pending cases, he said.
Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government will appoint judges to the High Court divisions as it is a continuous process. When the posts of judges fall vacant, new judges are appointed, he added.
He, however, did not say when and how many judges will be appointed.
However, this correspondent learnt after talking with several sources in the Law Ministry and the Supreme Court that the government is likely to appoint some new judges at the High Court after the Bar Council election to be held on May 25.
