Corruption, bribery free environment hampers SC activities

After the quick-fire collapse of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime, reformation is going on in every institutions and sectors around the country. The Supreme Court isn’t behind as well. All the judges who were in the Appellate Division during the Awami League led government, including the Chief Justice, have resigned. 7 more judges have been appointed in the Appellate Division along with new Chief Justice. With this radical change, the image of each section of the Supreme Court has also changed. The employees of each and every section are always concerned to avoid any untoward situation. As a result, bribery and corruption at Supreme Court has largely disappeared. Thus, processes of preparing cases has decreased at an alarming rate.

Before August 5, more than thousand cases were sent from the section to the High Court bench every working day, but now on an average of 300 to 400 are being sent. Such information was gathered after investigating various sections of the Supreme Court. According to the investigation, among the branches in which the most complaints of corruption were found in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court are the Rule Branch (Dhaka Division), Writ Branch, Filing Branch, Establishment Branch, Criminal Miscellaneous Branch, Despas Branch, Purchase Branch and Criminal Appeal Branch.

There have been widespread allegations of corruption and irregularities against the affidavit wing and paper book wing of the Appellate Division for a long time. But in Criminal Revision, Civil Revision, First Appeal, Jail Appeal, Death Reference, Decree, Bench, Library, Motion, Paperbook, Precedent, General & Establishment, Administration, Judicial, Stationery, Primitive Civil (Company Matters) and Court Keeping branches the allegations are less. On the other hand, allegations of corruption have been found in several benches of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court.

It was learnt that depending on the type of case, the amount of bribe was fixed in the sections and benches. Bribe worth 50 to 200 Tk was charged for seal in a writ case in High Court, same rate for tender number, 200 to 1000 Tk for affidavit, 300 to 400 Tk for peon, 2000 to 6000 Tk for filing case in court, 1000 to 2000 Tk for typing of order, 300 to 400 Tk for signing of order (Ardali or Peon), about 500 Tk to send from the court to the section, 1000 to 5000Tk for the order type and certified copy in the section and 300 to 400 Tk for all final Despas.

And in this process, till August 5, around 1,000 cases came from the section to the High Court bench for hearing every working day. Until then bribery in the sections and benches was an open secret; but after the fall the previous government, bribery suddenly disappeared. Along with that, the work of preparing the case has decreased significantly. It is learnt that before August 5, officers and employees of the Supreme Court section used to work till 8-9 pm even though the office was closed at 5 pm. A section officer of the Writ Section informed View Bangladesh that earlier there was some extra income so the work of preparing the case was doubled. Now as the extra income has stopped so the extra work has also stopped. Now I work till 5pm, he added. Officer of Tamadi case section Md Imran Hossain said, "As the Supreme Court has become bribery free, many officers of the section have reduced their daily work.

In this regard, Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman told View Bangladesh that, 'I have also heard the complaint that work in almost all the sections has decreased after bribery has been stopped. During the Awami League regime, the corruption of the Supreme Court's branches and benches was limitless. It became a tradition. File would not move without money. It took money to list, it took money to get the order. Without money there was no progress in work procedure. Even the judges were embarrassed by it and used to issue warning. But the culprits always avoided the warnings. Corruption was everyday act. Now a new interim government is in power. Bribery has now disappeared from all benches and sections of the Supreme Court. Due to which in anger, many officials and employees have reduced their work. We will report the matter to the Chief Justice.

Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, president of the Supreme Court Lawyers Association, said, "bribery is now stopped in various sections of the High Court and Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. And for this, I have come to know that many of these sections are reluctant to work. He said, more than 40 lakh cases are currently pending in various courts around the country. Public confidence in the justice system will be lost if swift action is not taken to resolve this unusual case and the judicial system itself will also collapse. In this situation, such action by the sections will make the situation worse. So swift action should be taken in this regard”.