Asif Nazrul, adviser on law, justice, and parliamentary affairs, stated around a year is needed to implement the proposed reforms.
Speaking at a dialogue organised by the Centre for Governance Studies at the SIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka on Monday (23 December), he emphasised the importance of creating a consensus to ensure that future political administrations cannot easily alter or revoke these reforms.
“There is no alternative to reforms for us,” he remarked, adding that the interim government's chief adviser and the head of the reform commission have orally consented to implementing reforms based on national consensus.
Asif Nazrul was critical of the excessive powers granted to Bangladesh’s higher judiciary, which he argued were exploited to consolidate the rule of Sheikh Hasina’s fascist regime.
He pointed out instances where individuals were detained for extended periods without being proven guilty and bail petitions were routinely rejected.
He further asserted that regular, free, and fair elections every five years, with the ruling party transitioning through a democratic process, would have prevented the judiciary from being used as a tool of authoritarianism.
Highlighting the issue of politically influenced judicial appointments in the higher courts, Asif Nazrul proposed three reform measures to finalise the appointment process for judges in the higher judiciary.
These reforms, he believes, are pivotal to establishing a fair and impartial judicial system in Bangladesh.
