Writ filed seeking separate judicial regions for Dhaka North, South

A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking to divide Dhaka’s district and metropolitan courts into two separate judicial regions — Dhaka North and Dhaka South — to ease the growing caseload and ensure faster disposal of cases.

Advocate Salahuddin Reagan, who filed the petition, confirmed the development on Tuesday.

The petition seeks directives to take the necessary steps to establish or reorganise four courts: Dhaka North District and Sessions Judge Court, Dhaka North Metropolitan Sessions Court, Dhaka South District and Sessions Judge Court, and Dhaka South Metropolitan Sessions Court.

On September 17, Reagan sent a legal notice to the law minister, the secretary of the Law and Justice Division, and the registrar general of the Supreme Court, seeking the necessary administrative, legal and judicial measures.

The notice called for action within 30 days. As no response was received, he moved the High Court.

The petition argues that Dhaka’s growing population has been accompanied by a sharp increase in civil, criminal, family, special and metropolitan criminal cases, placing an excessive burden on the existing judicial system.

The daily influx of litigants, lawyers, witnesses and accused persons has also caused severe congestion at the courts and added to the pressure on court administration, it says.

This has made court visits difficult for litigants travelling from distant areas and hampered case management and timely disposal.

The petition further argues that dividing the capital’s judicial administration into separate north and south regions would help reduce case backlogs and ease the difficulties faced by litigants.