Sara Hossain says Consensus Commission was formed through a selective process, not a democratic one; highlights the absence of women

In discussions on legal and constitutional reforms in Bangladesh, the independence of the judiciary has long been a central issue.

With regard to the preservation of our judicial autonomy, the real question was never whether Bangladesh would aspire to achieve it, but whether the state was prepared to surrender the administrative levers through which the courts are quietly managed.

When reflecting on broken promises, people sometimes refer to Sunil Gangopadhyay’s poem “Keu Katha Rakheni” (Nobody kept their promise), whose protagonist received numerous assurances and pledges over his 33 years of life but none were apparently kept.

The real question before parliament now is brutally simple. Does it want an independent judiciary, or merely a friendlier one?

The parliament’s ongoing review of the interim government’s 133 ordinances is perhaps the first real test of whether the July uprising has changed only the occupants of power, or the logic of power itself.

Historic move expected to reshape court governance and restore public trust in justice delivery.

The government yesterday issued an ordinance to establish the long-desired Supreme Court secretariat with a view to ensuring full independence of the judiciary.

A recent High Court ruling restores the Supreme Court’s authority over postings, promotions, and discipline of the subordinate judiciary.

Restoring public faith in the judiciary is now more urgent than ever.

While successfully meeting the people’s demand for justice in an efficient and timely fashion is a necessity, the indispensable function of guarding the constitution and holding other organs of the state – the legislature and the executive – is just as important.

The Supreme Court has proposed establishing a separate secretariat for the judiciary to make it truly independent and effectively separate it from the executive branch.