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Irregularities, bribery and harassment are allegedly rampant at every stage of case procedure in the Supreme Court in spite of the chief justice’s pledge to ensure judicial accountability and root out corruption from the judicial system.

A number of lawyers alleged that they were facing the problem at almost all stages of a case procedure, from filing the petitions and collecting signed orders.

Corruption by court staff or lawyers’ clerks damages the judiciary’s image in the public eye, chief justice Syed Refaat Ahmed said on September 21, 2024, while unveiling a roadmap for judicial reforms.

He also declared a policy of zero tolerance for any form of corruption, stating that corruption, even in a judge’s private life, tarnishes the image of the entire judiciary.

The lawyers claimed that irregularities had become so routine that they now functioned like ‘customary laws,’ despite not being part of any official rules approved by the Bangladesh Bar Council.

Supreme Court registrar general Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· on June 12 that the administration could not take action without receiving specific complaints.

‘We cannot investigate or act without concrete allegations,’ he said. ‘However, we remain vigilant and are investigating several cases internally.’

According to many lawyers, they cannot continue legal practice without complying with corrupt practices that have become part of the ‘informal system’.

They alleged that leaders of the Bar Association were failing to take action against widespread bribery and harassment in court services, even after receiving formal complaints.

A lawyer alleged that he approached the Bar leaders with his concerns, but they told him to ‘follow the system’ if he wanted to continue practicing law.

‘You have to do what everyone else is doing,’ the lawyer quoted a Bar leader as saying.

In the Supreme Court, orders or verdicts are often left untyped for months, even years, unless bench officers are paid bribes.

A lawyer said that an order he obtained from the court was not typed until his clerk paid Tk 500 to a bench officer.

Once typed, the judge’s ‘jamadar’ allegedly demands at least Tk 100 to bring out the signed order from the judge’s chamber.

For certified copies, section officials allegedly refuse to process files without payments ranging from Tk 300 to Tk 500, lawyers said.

In some cases, court officials allegedly call lawyers to inform them that their orders have arrived, they said, explaining that the implied  meaning of the call was that the officials expect payment for the delivery of the orders.

Dispatch Section staff also allegedly delay sending court orders to recipients unless they are paid at least Tk 100.

One lawyer said that his order meant for Dhaka Judges’ Court was held for three days simply because he did not pay the bribe.

The morning submission of hearing slips, approved by judges, often turns meaningless as bench officers allegedly exclude cases from the day’s list unless they are paid Tk 500 or more.

A lawyer claimed that hearing slips were delayed for up to two months for not making payment.

Affidavits, too, are allegedly sworn in immediately only if affidavit officers receive bribes, according to the lawyers.

Similarly, after government authorities are served court notices, section staff allegedly refuse to put the ‘ready for hearing’ seal on files unless they are paid Tk 300 to Tk 500.

In cases of non-payment, the files are returned, causing further delay.

Although it is the section’s responsibility to send listed cases to court, lawyers allege that files do not reach the bench unless their clerks pay Tk 100 to Tk 200 to the section officer in the morning.

If there is no payment, lawyers are often left standing in court without their files being produced.

According to a lawyer, the official estimate to get a certified copy of an order is Tk 150 to Tk 200.

But, in reality, lawyers are forced to pay around Tk 2,000 to receive the copy.

‘If no bribe is paid, the application goes missing even after the estimated fee is verified,’ he said.

Files related to enrollment in the Appellate Division go missing for years unless bribes are paid to the judge’s assistant, commonly referred to as ‘Addali’, some lawyers alleged.

In many cases, Addalis allegedly demand Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 per file to circulate them among High Court judges for required signatures.

According to another lawyer, the behavior of some court staff is rude and disrespectful.

‘We feel like hostages to these staff. They don’t respect us as lawyers,’ he added.

Some lawyers said that they avoided paying bribes because of their religious beliefs.

They, however, claimed that the court officials pressured them to be involved in illegal practices.

The lawyers urged the Bar Association to intervene and stop the growing malpractice in the court system.

Bangladesh Bar Council convener and senior lawyer Zainul Abedin told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· on June 12 that he also declared zero tolerance for corruption within the Bar Council, echoing the chief justice’s stance on judicial reforms.

‘Both the Bangladesh Bar Council and the chief justice are working together to eliminate corruption from the judiciary,’ he said.

He said that the chief justice was identifying areas of malpractice and seeking input from bar associations to address them.

Zainul Abedin acknowledged the urgency of tackling corruption in the Supreme Court but noted that such longstanding problems could not be resolved overnight, especially given the chief justice’s short tenure.

‘Still, I am hopeful that the incumbent chief justice will be able to bring meaningful change,’ he added.

Additional attorney general Mohammad Arshadur Rouf told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· on Saturday that the allegations of bribery in the higher judiciary should not be generalised.

‘The allegations should be specific. If you provide concrete information, I will personally request the chief justice to take action,’ he said.

He said that, to his knowledge, the chief justice was addressing the issue, and several staff members and bench officers had faced action.

‘I caught a bench officer red-handed for corruption. He was later suspended,’ said Arshad, who is also a senior lawyer.

Md Muajjem Hussain, special officer of the High Court Division and spokesman of the Supreme Court, said that most lawyers were reluctant to file formal complaints despite long-standing allegations, making it difficult to resolve the problems.

He noted that a visible outcome of the reform initiatives would take time. ‘We need six to eight months to see results,’ said Muajjem, also an additional district judge deputed to the Supreme Court Registry.

Following a directive from the chief justice, an online complaint register was launched on September 26, 2024.

As of January 1, 2025, the Supreme Court administration received 33 complaints involving allegations of misconduct, bribery, negligence, and other irregularities. These include 12 complaints against judges of various district courts, three against staff of the High Court Division, 12 against district court employees, and six against lawyers.

The chief justice in his roadmap also said, ‘Any form of corruption must be eliminated.’

‘If heads of institutions—such as district judges, chief judicial magistrates, or designated judges—fail to prevent or act against corruption, it will amount to professional disqualification,’ the chief justice warned.

He also acknowledged receiving complaints about various irregularities within the Supreme Court.

‘I have heard disturbing reports about the affidavit section, dispatch, and copy sections,’ he said. ‘Such irregularities will not be tolerated.’

He added that he had already issued 12 directives aimed at improving service and eliminating irregularities, and emphasised that implementation would be strictly monitored.