HC disposes of unprecedented 58,000 cases in just 11 days

The High Court Division of the Supreme Court has set a record by disposing of over 58,000 old criminal miscellaneous and writ petitions in just 11 working days through a special initiative. The case backlog and the long wait for justice have long been a reality of Bangladesh's judicial system, but this special drive has brought a remarkable change.

According to Supreme Court sources, a total of 57,232 cases have been disposed of since the special initiative began on May 7. On August 6, a single-day record of 6,968 old criminal miscellaneous cases was disposed of across 14 criminal motion benches.

The scale of the case backlog becomes clear when viewed against the numbers. As of March 31, 2026, a total of 522,331 cases were pending before the High Court Division; comprising 101,168 civil and 421,163 criminal cases. Additionally, 38,713 cases were pending before the Appellate Division, bringing the total pending cases before the Supreme Court's two divisions to 561,044.

In response to this massive backlog, judges on criminal motion and writ motion benches began prioritising long-pending cases for hearing and disposal from May 7. Initially, a few thousand cases were disposed of, but the pace accelerated significantly over time.

Supreme Court Public Relations Officer Md Shafiqul Islam told Views Bangladesh that on July 16, 6,317 old criminal miscellaneous cases were disposed of in a single day, with a total of 6,340 old cases disposed of that day. Just a week later, on July 23, the number increased further, with 7,853 old criminal miscellaneous cases disposed of across 10 criminal motion benches, a record for disposal in a single working day.

According to Supreme Court records, by July 23, 35,792 old criminal miscellaneous cases and a total of 42,699 cases including writ petitions had been disposed of in nine working days. Subsequently, on August 6, another 6,968 old criminal miscellaneous cases were disposed of across 14 criminal motion benches, bringing the total to 58,103 cases.

Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal told Views Bangladesh that the significance of this achievement goes beyond mere numbers. A pending case represents not just a file waiting to be moved, but a family's wait, uncertainty over property, loss of business, anxiety over bail or a victim's search for justice, particularly in criminal cases where the shadow of litigation lingers over the accused, the victim and witnesses alike.

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman told Views Bangladesh that the special initiative was taken to ensure speedy justice for litigants, reduce case backlog and increase the dynamism of the judicial system. Hearing and disposal of old cases on designated days will continue. The case backlog cannot be cleared overnight, but if a path is carved out every day, the destination will eventually be reached. Each disposal is not just the closure of a case, but also the end of a litigant's long wait.