4.3. Announced reforms and their implementation

On 12 September 2024, Yunus announced the formation of six commissions, including a commission to reform the judiciary and a constitutional reform commission.339 The Constitution Reform Commission and the Judicial Reform Commission have submitted their reports with recommendations to the interim government.340 The proposed reforms included a decentralisation of the judicial system,341 the establishment of an independent Judicial Appointments Commission to appoint Supreme Court judges, establishment of permanent seats of the High Court in all divisions of the country, and honesty and integrity to be part of the eligibility criteria for Supreme Court judges342 as well as establishing an independent criminal investigation service, and curbing the presidential power to pardon convicts.343 As reported by Dhaka Tribune, the Judicial Commission also proposed a permanent and merit-based attorney service.344 The interim government has reportedly begun the process of drafting a law to establish a permanent Attorney Service.345 Moreover, the Judicial Commission proposed a number of initiatives to address the backlog of cases, including ‘appointing retired judges on a contractual basis’, ‘introducing online systems for accepting case mentions and establishing a more efficient framework for handling witness testimony.’ It further recommended a set of anti-corruption measures, including creating an online grievance box to report corruption within the Supreme Court, and similar systems for lower courts and legal officers. The Commission also recommended to expand authority of mobile courts to enforce judicial decisions and establish ‘minimum judicial standards for village courts to ensure equitable access to justice in rural areas.’346

On 21 January 2025, the interim government approved the draft Supreme Judicial Appointment Ordinance.347 According to the Ordinance, Supreme Court judges will be appointed through an independent council comprised of seven members: led by the chief justice, two judges of the Appellate Division, two senior judges of the High Court Division, the Attorney General, and a professor of law or legal expert nominated by the chief justice.348

On 19 March 2025, the Judiciary Reform Commission issued a recommendation to enact a practical law to prevent the filing of false or vexatious cases as the number of filed false cases ‘increases with political changes’.349

In March 2025, the interim government announced the establishment of a separate Children’s Court.350 According to UNICEF, Separate Children’s Courts will provide specialised legal and social services, with a focus on rehabilitation, while ensuring that proceedings are conducted in ‘child-sensitive environment with trained judges and legal professionals.’351 Information on when the court will become operational could not be found among the sources consulted by EUAA within the time constraints of this report.