Supreme Court lawyers have set a deadline for the Chief Justice demanding the withdrawal of the virtual court system, warning of a sit-in programme on the court premises if their demand is not met.
If the virtual court system is not withdrawn by Tuesday, 28 April, lawyers will observe a sit-in programme with black flags, said Mahbubur Rahman Khan, former assistant secretary of the Bar Association.
He announced the next course of action at a rally following a black flag procession at the Supreme Court premises on Thursday noon.
Speaking at the rally, Senior Supreme Court lawyer Syed Mamun Mahbub said the virtual court system was introduced experimentally to save fuel and electricity during a particular situation.
“However, after two days of experience, we have seen that fuel and electricity are not actually being saved. The Supreme Court premises are becoming filled with cars. Lawyers and litigants are also attending regularly,” he said.
Mahbub emphasised that a country’s judiciary is the principal place for preserving the rule of law, human rights and the fundamental rights of citizens.
“This must be kept operational even overcoming the crisis of oil, gas or other things. This is not a shop or shopping mall that closing after 8 o’clock would not be a problem. To sustain an independent sovereign state, the judiciary must be sustained at any cost,” he added.
The senior lawyer also noted that both lawyers and litigants are suffering due to fewer case hearings taking place in the virtual court system.
Earlier at noon, over a hundred lawyers participated in a black flag procession that started from the Bar Association building and ended in front of the Annexe Court Building, chanting various slogans against the virtual court system.
The Supreme Court administration announced on April 20 that hearings would be held virtually in the Supreme Court on Wednesdays and Thursdays until further notice. Accordingly, virtual hearings were held on Wednesday and Thursday.
