All major political parties have reached a consensus on expanding lower courts to the upazila (sub-district) level in order to ensure access to justice at the grassroots.
However, parties suggested avoiding the establishment of courts in upazilas that are geographically close to district headquarters.
The agreement came during a dialogue held on Monday at the Foreign Service Academy with the National Consensus Commission. In principle, the parties expressed support for the commission’s proposal aimed at decentralizing the judiciary.
The commission’s proposal emphasized that decisions on where to establish permanent courts should be based on several factors including the geographic location of the upazila headquarters, distance from district towns, transportation accessibility, population density and distribution, and caseloads.
It also recommended evaluating whether existing circuit courts in some upazilas should be upgraded to permanent courts or reconsidered based on necessity.
Additionally, the proposal suggested that jurisdiction for any court may be extended to cover multiple adjacent upazilas where appropriate.
It also recommended appointing judges at the level of Senior Assistant Judges and First-Class Magistrates, and increasing the financial jurisdiction of civil courts to reflect current realities. Legal aid services should also be extended to upazila levels.
BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed voiced that establishing courts in upazilas very close to district headquarters or within the district itself may be unnecessary. He called for a survey to identify which upazilas truly need such courts.
Some party leaders expressed concern that such decentralization could increase corruption. However, Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad dismissed the concern as unfounded.
He stated that bringing judicial services closer to the people would reduce harassment of justice-seekers and emphasized the importance of transparency, accountability, and public awareness to combat corruption.
Jabed Rasin, Joint Convenor of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP), strongly supported the initiative and proposed establishing courts based on parliamentary constituencies if needed.
Some parties recommended setting a specific timeline for completing the expansion of lower courts to the upazila level.
While the dialogue saw broad consensus on the phased expansion of sub-district courts, it also generated several party-specific recommendations, which are set to be discussed in a follow-up session after the break.
