Case filings increase, so does backlog

To this day, several high-profile criminal cases, like the BDR mutiny, Narayanganj seven-murder, and the killings of Bishwajit Das and Awami League lawmaker Ahsan Ullah Master, remain pending with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

Appeals against High Court verdicts in these cases have been awaiting hearings for seven to eight years.

Additionally, 74 election petitions challenging the December 30, 2018, parliamentary election results -- alleging widespread irregularities -- have yet to be disposed of by the High Court.

The backlog of cases continues to grow due to lengthy legal procedures, a shortage of judges, and overburdened courts.

Lawyers' lack of proactive efforts to expedite hearings and disposals further exacerbates the problem, according to Supreme Court sources and legal experts.

Supreme Court reports show that from October to December last year, the number of pending cases across all courts, including the Appellate and High Court Divisions, increased by 73,093.

By December 31, the total number of pending cases stood at 45,16,603, including 31,606 in the Appellate Division, 5,89,651 in the High Court, and 38,95,832 in lower courts.

This marks an increase from September 30, when the figures were 28,901, 5,77,280, and 38,37,329, respectively. The total backlog was 44,43,510 at that time, according to the SC reports.

From October to December, a total of 2,74,749 cases were disposed of across all courts, while 3,84,074 cases were filed.

The Appellate Division received 2,705 new cases and disposed of 486. The High Court received 18,967 cases and resolved 6,597. Lower courts settled 2,67,666, while getting 3,62,402 new cases.

In the previous quarter (July-September), 3,36,421 cases were filed, and 2,71,917 were settled, according to the reports.

Currently, the Appellate Division has five judges, including the chief justice, down from 11 in 2009.

Meanwhile the High Court has 96 judges, of whom seven are barred from judicial functions due to ongoing inquiries, said SC sources. Lower courts have 2,187 judges.

Contacted, Supreme Court's Special Officer Muajjem Hossain said case disposal rates have remained similar despite changes in the political landscape since August 5 last year.

He attributed the rising backlog to an increase in the filing of cases and the transfer of around 900 lower court judges after August 5.

To address the shortage, the Supreme Judicial Appointment Council, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and formed under the Supreme Court Judge Appointment Ordinance, 2025, is working to appoint new judges, he also said.

Lower court judges are recruited regularly through the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission, he added.

Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, a Supreme Court lawyer and head of Law Lab, which conducts research on constitutional, legal, and rights issues, warned that the growing backlog is eroding public trust in the judiciary.

It is not possible to deal with the backlog with the small number of judges, he said.

He urged immediate measures, including increasing the number of judges, appointing more support staff, reducing court vacations, forming special benches for miscellaneous cases, expediting police investigations, and accelerating the e-judiciary project.

The police should also complete investigations as soon as possible, Shishir Manir added.