Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister\u00a0Md Asaduzzaman today said mandatory pre-case mediation is yielding\u00a0
encouraging results in reducing existing case backlog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Mandatory pre-case mediation is creating opportunities for litigants to\u00a0resolve disputes quickly and easily, while significantly reducing the filing\u00a0of new cases in courts, yielding encouraging results already. If implemented\u00a0
more effectively, the initiative could make a major contribution to resolving\u00a0the country's long-standing case backlog,\" he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister made the remarks while inaugurating, virtually, the mandatory\u00a0pre-filing mediation programme in 10 districts from the ministry's conference\u00a0room this morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further said around 4.5 million cases are currently pending across the\u00a0country against a backdrop of an inadequate number of judges. The enormous\u00a0caseload has placed a heavy burden on the entire judiciary, from the Supreme\u00a0Court to district and subordinate courts, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The law minister said that following the introduction of pre-case mediation\u00a0in 20 districts under a pilot project, the number of cases filed under\u00a0various laws declined significantly during the February-May period of 2026\u00a0compared to the corresponding period in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"The number of cases filed under the Family Courts Act fell from 3,559 during\u00a0the corresponding period in 2025 to 1,744 in the same period of 2026, marking\u00a0a decline of about 51 per cent. Partition suits falling under the\u00a0jurisdiction of Civil Judge Courts dropped from 2,001 to 661, representing a\u00a0reduction of around 67 per cent,\" he said.
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Asaduzzaman said the pre-emption cases under the State Acquisition and\u00a0Tenancy Act also fell sharply from 17 to just two, registering an 88.24 per\u00a0cent decline. \"Cases under the Parents' Maintenance Act fell by nearly 19 per\u00a0cent. Overall, the number of cases filed declined by an average of 62.02 per\u00a0cent,\" he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing judges, the minister urged them to refer cases that have the\u00a0potential for amicable settlement at an early stage to district legal aid\u00a0offices or accredited mediators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expressing optimism, the law minister said that if the courts, district legal\u00a0aid offices, lawyers and all other stakeholders work together, it would be\u00a0possible to significantly reduce the number of pending cases within the next\u00a0one year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Referring to the mediators, the law minister said they should view their\u00a0responsibility not merely as a job, but as a public service and a challenge.\u00a0He also reiterated the government's 'zero-tolerance' policy against any form\u00a0of corruption in the mediation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chaired by Director General of the Directorate of Bangladesh Legal Aid, Md\u00a0Monjurul Hossain, the programme was also addressed by Law and Justice\u00a0Division Secretary Liaquet Ali Molla as a special guest.
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Joining virtually, Jashore District and Sessions Judge Mahmudah Khatun, Chief\u00a0Judicial Magistrate of Cox's Bazar Abu Saleh Mohammad Noman, District Legal\u00a0Aid Officer Abhijit Chowdhury, and President of the Cox's Bazar District Bar\u00a0
Association Advocate Mohammad Abdul Mannan also spoke on the occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following his speech, the law minister simultaneously inaugurated the\u00a0mandatory pre-case mediation programme in 10 districts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The districts are Bogura, Thakurgaon, Patuakhali, Bhola, Natore, Jashore,\u00a0Shariatpur, Cox's Bazar, Panchagarh and Tangail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister\u00a0Md Asaduzzaman today said mandatory pre-case mediation is yielding\u00a0encouraging results in reducing existing case backlog. \"Mandatory pre-case mediation is creating opportunities for litigants to\u00a0resolve disputes quickly and easily, while significantly reducing the filing\u00a0of new cases in courts, yielding encouraging results already. If implemented\u00a0more effectively, the initiative could make a major […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":35536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,100,93],"tags":[47],"class_list":["post-35535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bangladesh","category-law-public","category-nationwide","tag-47"],"yoast_head":"\n