Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed has directed three High Court judges to submit written explanations over their disposal of a large number of bail petitions, confirmed Supreme Court spokesperson and special officer Md Muajjem Hussain on Tuesday.
According to court sources, the instruction was formally sent to Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman, Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam, and Justice Md Zakir Hossain, requesting them to provide case-specific reports detailing how the petitions were handled and who the representing lawyers were.
The message issued by the special officer saying that Chief Justice wishes to meet with them individually soon.
Ahead of that, they are instructed to submit detailed and case-specific written explanations by 28 October regarding the large number of bail petitions they have dealt with. The reports should include particulars of the lawyers involved.
When asked about the status of the submissions, Muajjem said he had no information on whether the judges had already responded or met the chief justice. He also declined to comment further on the matter.
The move comes amid mounting scrutiny over unusually high numbers of bail orders issued by certain High Court benches. Earlier, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul publicly questioned how a single bench could grant bail to around 800 individuals in one day, prompting discussion within judicial and legal circles about transparency in bail proceedings.
While no official comment has been made by the judges concerned, sources within the Supreme Court said the explanations are expected to help ensure “procedural accountability” in the court’s bail process.
The chief justice’s decision marks a rare instance of direct administrative oversight within the higher judiciary, signaling an effort to uphold consistency and public confidence in judicial practice.
