The Bangladesh Judicial Service Association on Friday strongly opposed a recommendation by the Public Administration Reform Commission that would empower executive magistrates to take cognisance of complaint petitions and conduct investigations through upazila officers or local arbitration.
Under the proposed system, complaints would be recorded as first information reports at the police station if a preliminary investigation by upazila officers or local arbitrators finds merit in the allegations.
The case would then be forwarded to the judicial court for trial.
The proposal aims to provide ordinary citizens with an easier way to file cases while reducing the burden on courts by settling minor disputes outside the judicial process.
In a statement, BJSA president Amirul Islam and general secretary Muhammad Mazharul Islam condemned the recommendation as unconstitutional.
They argued that it would undermine the separation of powers among the three branches of the state and also would contradict the landmark Masder Hossain case, which led to the judiciary鈥檚 separation from the executive on November 1, 2007.
The BJSA called for immediate withdrawal of the proposal, warning that its implementation would erode judicial independence and disrupt the existing legal framework.
