Chief justice to deliver farewell address on 14 Dec

Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed will retire on 27 December upon reaching the constitutional age limit of 67. 

Ahead of his retirement, he is scheduled to deliver a farewell address to the country's senior judicial officers on 14 December.  

According to a press release issued today (27 November) signed by Shafiqul Islam, public relations officer of the Supreme Court, an important session has been organised at the Supreme Court Auditorium on 14 December at 3pm. Senior judicial officers serving in district courts across the country, including District judges, metropolitan sessions judges, chief judicial magistrates and chief metropolitan magistrates, will attend the session. Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed will deliver his farewell address on this occasion.

In his address, the chief justice will highlight the reform initiatives undertaken over the past one and a half years and discuss future prospects for implementing the judicial reform roadmap he announced, said the release. 

He is expected to provide key guidance on ongoing reform activities, including expanding technology-based services, enhancing the professional skills of judicial officers, ensuring greater transparency in court operations, improving the capabilities of subordinate court judges, facilitating easier access to justice for citizens, and reducing the backlog of cases.

It further stated that upon assuming office as the 25th chief justice following the July 2024 Mass Uprising, Syed Refaat Ahmed introduced a historic judicial reform roadmap. The roadmap outlined major reforms such as establishing a separate secretariat for the judiciary, enacting specific laws for the appointment of High Court judges, creating separate courts for judicial functions, and combating corruption within the judicial system. 

Over the past eighteen months, several reforms based on this roadmap have been implemented.