Chief justice pledges pro-people judiciary

Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has expressed the judiciary’s commitment to supporting the people, emphasizing that substantial measures have already been taken to implement institutional reforms at this crucial juncture.

“Everyone will find a judiciary that is both focused on the people and dedicated to their well-being and justice,” the top judge said while speaking at the inaugural session of the Citizen’s Conference 2024, themed “People-centric Reform for Good Governance: Aspirations of Disadvantaged Communities,” in Dhaka on Sunday.

Dishonesty had replaced honesty, deprivation had taken the place of rights, oppression was now the norm instead of justice and cruelty had supplanted protection, he remarked.

“This is not the society or state we envisioned,” he said.

Emphasizing the importance of the current period, the chief justice referred to it as a “historic moment” resulting from the triumph of the recent mass uprising, which he said presented a unique opportunity to support the marginalized.

In his opening remarks, Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, head of the economic white paper committee, said Syed Refaat Ahmed had faced five instances of withheld promotion while his juniors had been advanced.

“The Supreme Court has become [a place] where merit and expertise are overlooked. Astonishingly, his (the chief justice’s) promotion was blocked at least five times. I have never seen such a blatant injustice within the judicial system,” said Debapriya, a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue.

He said one of the significant losses in recent years had been the neglect of merit and talent in favour of loyalty.

“Loyalty and sycophancy have become the main criteria for obtaining positions throughout the state, government and society, ignoring merit and expertise. This represents a severe crime against national progress,” the economist added.

Debapriya also called for continued dialogue under the interim government to enhance democracy, saying the door for dialogue must remain open for everyone.

The two-day conference, organized by the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh with the support of UNDP Bangladesh and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, is taking place at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

The opening session, led by Debapriya as convener of the Citizen’s Platform, featured distinguished speakers, including Lamiya Morshed, principal coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals affairs at the chief adviser’s office; Corinne Henchoz Pignani, chargé d’affaires at the Swiss embassy in Bangladesh; and Stefan Liller, resident representative of UNDP Bangladesh.

The two-day conference will consist of several sessions with experts from different sectors.