Chief justice Syed Refaat Ahmed on Saturday said that the Supreme Court had assumed full control over the appointment and discipline of its judges over the past six months.
The chief justice made the remarks while addressing the fifth regional seminar of a nationwide series in Mymensingh, the fourth session held outside the capital.
The chief justice at the seminar detailed a bold reform agenda that has been underway since September 2024.
He outlined key measures designed to bolster judicial independence and modernise administrative practices.
The chief justice said that the creation of two autonomous bodies— the Judicial Appointment Council, responsible for recruiting and disciplining Supreme Court judges, and the Supreme Judicial Council, tasked with their removal without executive interference, were the key reforms for judicial independence.
He said that additional steps for judicial reforms included the establishment of a separate secretariat for the judiciary to ensure administrative autonomy and introducing new Posting and Transfer Guidelines to promote fairness across district judiciaries.
On September 21, 2024, the chief justice unveiled a comprehensive Roadmap for Judicial Reform—a plan inspired by the spirit of the recent student protests and historic movements such as the 1952 language movement and the 1971 war of independence.
He said that the initiative had already influenced key reform commissions, while UNDP-backed Reform Roadshows had empowered district judiciaries and judicial magistracies nationwide. The chief justice said that one of the notable outcomes is the launch of helplines in Rajshahi District and major metropolitan courts, modeled after the successful Supreme Court Helpline and based on a 12-point framework introduced by the chief justice.
He called on judicial officers and reform advocates to sustain this transformative momentum as the judiciary continues to evolve into a fully independent and self-reliant institution.
The seminar was also addressed by High Court Division judge Farah Mahbub, who is also the senior member of the Supreme Court Special Committee for Judicial Reform, the ambassador and head of delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Michael Miller, the resident representative of UNDP Bangladesh, Stefan Liller, and the senior adviser on rule of law, justice, and security at UNDP, Romana Schweiger.
