October seems to be a silent bridge of seasonal change. The wet scent of the monsoon still lingers in the air, white autumn clouds float in the sky; yet within the northern wind is the tune of winter's arrival. Sometimes the sharp sting of sunshine, sometimes sudden splashes of rain, and at other times the sight of the river's breast covered in morning mist — October is passing in the colours of diversity.
The files piled up in the corridors of the courts seem like layers of time pressing down on people’s long wait for justice. A single case can involve an entire family, a property, or questions of freedom and justice. With the aim of easing that burden of waiting, the rate of case disposal increased in both divisions of the Supreme Court in 2026. In the first eight months of the year alone, the Appellate Division disposed of 11,136 cases, while the High Court Division disposed of 87,596. As the number of disposed cases exceeded the number of newly filed cases, the overall backlog also declined.
Bangladesh is like an unfinished poem written by nature's hand. Somewhere the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, somewhere hills touching their heads to the clouds. Somewhere tiger footprints in the deep forests of the Sundarbans, somewhere the blue of the sky in the waters of the haor. Green carpets of tea, sails of boats on the bosom of rivers, ancient architecture, folk culture and diversity of taste—altogether, it is as if many Bangladeshes reside within one country.
The law sets a deadline of 180 working days. In reality, it takes an average of nearly three years and seven months—around 1,370 days—to conclude a case of violence against women and children. That is roughly seven and a half times the statutory timeframe. Each case, on average, comes up for hearing 22 times. A study by the Bangladesh Supreme Court, based on an analysis of 4,040 cases heard by 46 Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunals in 32 districts between January and June this year, paints this picture. The study also found that the conviction rate in these cases was just 3 percent.
A shopping bag in one hand and a household ledger in the other—but the numbers no longer add up. Every trip to the market brings another shock. Rice, eggs, milk, flour, vegetables—the daily essentials are steadily eating into household budgets. Now, a fresh blow has come from rising fuel prices. And the heat is no longer confined to filling stations; it is spreading through transport, production, markets and the cost of everyday life.
Three organisations from the same political family, six top leaders, every one of them has been sentenced to death.