Law minister Md Asaduzzaman on Thursday told Jatiya Sangsad that 40,41,924 cases were pending in lower courts across the country as of December 31 last year.
He said that the government had adopted a range of multidimensional measures to ensure the swift and effective disposal of these cases.
Speaking during a parliamentary session presided over by deputy speaker Kayser Kamal, the minister highlighted key legislative reforms, including the passage of the Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
He said that the amendments introduced provisions for serving summons via SMS and voice calls, submitting complaints and written statements through affidavits, and allowing direct cross-examination.
Replying to questions from lawmakers Md Kamrul Hasan and M Nurul Islam regarding government plans to reduce case backlogs, the minister, in his scripted answer, said that the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2026 has also been passed to expedite criminal proceedings.
The law included measures to reduce unnecessary delays, such as allowing courts to bypass proclamation and attachment procedures in cases involving absconding accused persons, and promoting the use of digital methods in issuing summons.
Asaduzzaman said that, under the Information Technology Act, 2020, testimonies of investigating officers, medical practitioners, and magistrates recording confessional statements were now being taken online.
The minister acknowledged structural challenges within the judiciary, noting that magistrates previously struggled to devote sufficient time to judicial work due to responsibilities such as supervising police investigations, conducting bail and remand hearings, and handling affidavits.
Asaduzzaman said that to reduce the backlog, the government has already established 871 courts and created 232 judicial posts, with a further 304 judgeships currently in the pipeline.
Recruitment of 150 civil judges is ongoing, while the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission has recommended the appointment of 708 judicial staff, with recruitment of an additional 553 personnel underway, he said.
The minister said that a special committee, chaired by the solicitor, has been formed to expedite the investigation and trial of high-profile cases, particularly those involving violence against women and children.
The minister also highlighted the expansion of legal aid services through the Legal Aid (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Under the revised framework, disputes arising under seven of the nine scheduled laws must undergo mandatory mediation at district legal aid offices before cases can be filed in court, he said.
The law minister said that, if a settlement was reached, agreements certified by the chief legal aid officer would carry the same legal weight as a court decree.
He said that additional measures included increasing the number of judges in legal aid offices, appointing experienced mediators, and introducing a toll-free hotline (16699) to provide free legal assistance.
Asaduzzaman said that efforts were underway to address infrastructure shortages, adding that projects for constructing chief judicial magistrate court buildings in 23 districts and vertically expanding facilities in four others had been submitted to the Planning Commission, which had already reviewed the proposals.
He also mentioned that separate plans for constructing court buildings and residential facilities for judges in 39 circuit courts were being revised following observations from the commission.
On the digital front, he said that e-bail bond management software had been introduced in nine districts, enabling the online submission of bail bonds and reducing time and costs for lawyers, prison authorities, and litigants, with plans to expand the system nationwide.
The minister also said that e-family courts had been launched in two districts, allowing the filing, hearing, and management of family cases entirely online, making the process faster, more transparent, and cost-effective, particularly for women, children, and people in remote areas.
He further said that, as part of efforts to modernise civil registration and vital statistics, online marriage and divorce registration under Muslim law would soon be introduced in 101 unions across 10 districts, which was expected to help prevent fraud and reduce related litigation.
The law minister said that the government was working towards a comprehensive digital transformation of the judiciary through the proposed ‘e-Judiciary’ project, which, once implemented, would digitise all judicial processes.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed adjourned the session until 3:00pm on April 19.
