Dhaka: President Abdul Hamid on Saturday said unnecessary delay in passing judgements and orders by courts is not acceptable.

‘Judges will have to be careful so that there’s no delay in handing down judgements and releasing the verdicts on completion of hearing. Any unnecessary delay in passing judgements or orders is in no way acceptable,’ he said.

The President made the remark while inaugurating the National Judicial Conference 2015 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.

‘The Court is the last resort for people. It’s essential to dispose of cases within a logical time for establishing justice,’ he said.

Abdul Hamid said it is naturally expected that the judges will conduct trial proceedings impartially without any fear and favour maintaining their optimum sincerity and integrity.

There should be a logical balance in the ratio between the number of judges and that of cases, the President said adding that the delay in carrying out trial proceedings and backlog of cases are among key problems of the country’s judiciary.

Observing that justice is people’s basic right, he said ‘Common people of our country are deprived of this basic right in many cases due to poverty, illiteracy and unawareness.’

‘It is the constitutional responsibility of the government to ensure the basic right of easily getting justice at minimum cost for people. To this end judges and lawyers alongside the government can play a helpful role in making the laws time-befitting ones and developing the infrastructures for the judiciary, the President told the programme.

He said the judiciary in a democratic society is indispensable part of the political system. ‘The judiciary plays a significant role in establishing a true participatory democracy.’

Praising the Chief Justice’s decisions regarding the judiciary’s overall development, including digitalisation, Abdul Hamid said the people now can know about their cases through online cause lists of the court. Besides, the litigants’ sufferings reduced significantly with introduction of the online bail confirmation system, he added.

The litigants’ confidence in the judiciary is increasing as the pace in disposing of the cases increases gradually in the Supreme Court and also in lower courts under the dynamic leadership of the Chief Justice.

The disposal pace of the cases will enhance further if the government fund for legal assistance can be utilised fully and the proposed Alternative Dispute Resolution option can be exercised effectively, the President said.

Terming judges the ‘Conscience of the nation,’, he said people expect that the judges will have maximum sincerity and impartiality in establishing the rule of law.

Chaired by Chief Justice SK Sinha, the inaugural function was addressed, among others, by Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Law Minister Anisul Huq and State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak.

Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of lower courts took part in the conference.

At the function, the Supreme Court provided financial assistance to the families of two senior assistant judges of Jhalakati District and Sessions Judges’ Court Jagannath Pandey and Md Sohel Ahmed who were killed in militant attack in 2004.

The President handed over savings certificate worth Tk two lakh to families of the judges each.