BLAST welcomes draft law to establish separate secretariat for Supreme Court
It calls for financial autonomy and fear-free environment for judges
The Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) has welcomed the cabinet's approval of the draft of Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance 2025, calling it a key step toward ensuring judicial independence.
Speakers at a meeting organised by BLAST today (20 November) emphasised the need to guarantee financial autonomy for the judiciary and to create an environment where judges can perform their duties without fear.
The meeting was held at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium in Dhaka.
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At the meeting, Supreme Court lawyer Dr Kazi Zahed Iqbal said, "After a long journey, the judiciary is finally walking the path of independence. The recent plan to establish a separate secretariat within three months will help ensure structural autonomy."
Senior Supreme Court lawyer and former Attorney General Barrister Fida M Kamal added, "With a separate judicial secretariat, we can hope to achieve a truly independent judiciary. Judges and lawyers must demonstrate impartiality to protect this independence."
Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said that even with a secretariat, measures must be taken to prevent corruption in the lower courts.
He urged young lawyers to take initiatives in this regard.
Sara Hossain, senior Supreme Court lawyer and executive director of BLAST, said, "Alongside the secretariat, other mechanisms, such as a monitoring system, should be established so that the secretariat can consider feedback from trial aspirants and lawyers."
During the open discussion, participants deliberated on steps to enact the ordinance into law, the establishment of High Court benches at divisional levels, and the demand for repealing the Special Powers Act.
