Local Government Reform Commission for establishing civil & magistrate courts at upazilas

Local Government Reform Commission has recommended setting up two full-pledged civil and magistrate courts at every upazila in the country, except Chittagong Hill Tracts, within two years.

It also suggested establishing office of "Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)' with the status of the senior assistant judge court, at every upazila in the country.

The Local Government Reform Commission made the recommendations in its report to be submitted to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told BSS.

The commission proposed abolishing "village court" of union parishad and acknowledging formally the arbitration system at ward level.

It stressed the need for ensuring the jurisdiction of the ADR courts and providing administrative support for overseeing the arbitrations and appeal hearing.

The commission also proposed establishing infrastructures to set up three ADR offices in every district of Chittagong Hill Tracts and ensuring connection between ADR magistrates and the headmen-karbari and village/ward level arbitration.

It underscored the need for monitoring the arbitration of the ADR magistrates at upazilas where ethnic minorities of plain land have been living, and expending the monitoring upto the ethnic community.

The commission suggested that upazila courts, not district courts, would be lower courts (subordinate courts) while the district courts would be intermediate courts and the district judges would be supervisors of the district and upazila courts.

It recommended that the national bar council will take steps to set up bar associations at upazila level, acknowledging upazila bar associations.