Journalists have announced a rigorous movement demanding the restoration of media access to Supreme Court courtrooms, saying that the nation has a right to know what is happening behind closed doors.
They alleged that barring journalists from courtrooms for several months has undermined the public’s right to be informed about judicial proceedings and raised questions regarding the transparency of the justice system.
The demand was voiced during a joint meeting of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) and the Law Reporters Forum (LRF) held on Thursday at the LRF office in the Supreme Court Bar Association building.
Following the meeting, a sit-in programme was announced to be held in front of the Supreme Court on 12 August.
Speakers at the meeting said justice cannot be administered behind closed doors as it creates suspicion; therefore, the media must be allowed access.
They further argued that court access is not a matter of favour from any individual or institution but is fundamentally linked to constitutional rights.
According to the speakers, it is the media’s responsibility to observe court proceedings and report them to the public, and limiting this opportunity obstructs the people’s right to information.
Speakers said media access to the Supreme Court has been a long-standing established practice since the independence of Bangladesh.
They claimed, for more than five decades, under the tenure of 25 Chief Justices, journalists have regularly entered courtrooms to observe hearings, take notes, and publish news.
However, the meeting expressed concern that journalists are recently being barred from the Appellate Division and several benches of the High Court, which is severely damaging the public’s right to receive information about court activities.
To ensure the success of the announced programme, the meeting decided to inform leaders of various journalist organisations, including the Editors’ Council, National Editors’ Council, National Press Club, and Dhaka Reporters Unity, about the current situation and the upcoming schedule.
The Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) President Md Shahidul Islam attended the meeting as the chief guest, while DUJ General Secretary Khurshid Alam spoke as a special guest.
The meeting was presided over by LRF President Mohammad Yasin and conducted by General Secretary Arafat Munna.
Other speakers included LRF founder member secretary Kazi Abdul Hannan; former presidents Saleh Uddin, Ashutosh Sarkar, Saeed Ahmed Khan, Wakil Ahmed Hiron, Mashhudul Haque, Shamima Akhter, and Hasan Javed.
Also speakers were former general secretaries Abdur Rahman and Habibur Rahman; senior members Shankar Moitra, Khokon Barua, Sazedul Haque, Milton Anwar, and Mohiuddin Faruk; current vice-president Abu Saleh Rony; organisational secretary Ahmed Al Amin; publicity and publication secretary Zahidul Bashar; and executive members Elias Sarkar and SM Nur Mohammad.
