The chief justice, Syed Refaat Ahmed, on Saturday said that the interim government had taken a major step toward ensuring judicial independence by approving in principle the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance, 2025 on October 23.
The chief justice said this while addressing a gathering at the Rajshahi University campus to mark the 72nd anniversary celebrations of law the department of the university.
He said that he was deeply honored to address a distinguished audience of Supreme Court judges, academicians, lawyers, and young law graduates attended from various parts of the country.
The chief justice said that the government moved to establish separate Supreme Court secretariat, a key milestone in fulfilling Article 22 of the constitution, which calls for the separation of the judiciary from the executive 鈥� a constitutional goal that has remained unfulfilled for decades.
The Chief Justice said the decision follows 15 months of strategic coordination between the office of the chief justice and the Executive branch, aimed at institutionalizing judicial autonomy through structural reforms.
At the centre of the government鈥檚 Roadmap for Judicial Reform is the plan to create a separate Supreme Court Secretariat, envisioned as the administrative hub of the judiciary.
The proposed secretariat will oversee planning, coordination, and management of judicial affairs, ensuring efficiency, transparency, and greater access to justice.
The draft ordinance also seeks to secure financial independence for the judiciary, enabling it to control its own budget and infrastructure 鈥� a step seen as crucial for true judicial autonomy.
Justice sector stakeholders, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, district judges, and the Bangladesh Judicial Service Association, have been urged to work together with mutual trust and cooperation to sustain the reform.
He cautioned that the long-term success of the initiative will depend on maintaining reciprocity, restraint, and trust among all institutions, warning that any confrontation or mistrust could undermine the progress toward institutional independence.
