Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman informed the parliament yesterday that 656 judge positions remain vacant across the country.

Responding to a query from lawmaker Selina Sultana, the minister said 1,964 of the total 2,620 sanctioned judge posts are currently filled.

“The process of filling these vacancies through promotion, transfer, and appointment of new civil judges is underway,” he also said.

Asaduzzaman also informed that the government has recently established 650 civil and senior civil judges’ courts, 406 sessions judges’ courts, and 204 additional sessions judges’ courts. The creation of new judge posts for these courts is under active consideration to ensure faster disposal of pending cases, he added.

Responding to another query from lawmaker Nilofar Chowdhury Moni, the law minister informed the House that 1,19,830 cases are pending in family courts across the country as of March 31.

Dhaka tops the list with 13,135 pending cases, followed by Chattogram (10,686), Mymensingh (4,938), Tangail (4,622), and Rajshahi (3,713).

To address the backlog, the government has set up 163 family courts and 35 family appeal courts nationwide. In addition, Bangladesh has launched its first e-family court in Dhaka and Chattogram, operating entirely paperless.

The minister also informed that a total of 80 cases have been filed with the International Crimes Tribunals over crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising in 2024.

Responding to a query from lawmaker Masum Mostafa, the minister said verdicts have been delivered in seven cases, sentencing 59 defendants. Of them, 13 received the death penalty, while the rest were handed varying prison terms, including life sentences.

He added that 73 cases remain pending, including 22 currently at the evidence taking stage, and 51 still under investigation.

Altogether, 463 individuals stand accused in the cases. Of them, 174 have been arrested, 288 are absconding, one has died, and one has been acquitted, he added.