Independent judiciary spurs a country's dev: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said an independent judiciary, strong parliament and administration can take a country towards development.

“After coming to power we have made judiciary independent by separating it from the administration in fulfilling the belief of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she said.

The prime minister said this while addressing the valedictory session of the two-day International Conference on 'South Asian Constitutional Courts in the Twenty-First Century: Lessons from Bangladesh and India’ at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).

She said that the government has separated the judiciary from the administration by allocating a separate budget for it.

The Judiciary, she said, was previously dependent on the government for financial matters.

The Prime Minister said that the government has announced to transform Bangladesh into a smart one by 2041.“I want that the judiciary will be a smart one.”

She mentioned various initiatives taken by the Chief Justice to make the judiciary smart and thanked him.

She also thanked the higher court for their verdict which had declared the 5th and 7th amendments to the Constitution legitimising the military regimes illegal.

“This supplemented the country’s socio-economic advancement since 2009 by ensuring the democratic trend of the country. It has been possible as the country has stable situation since then,” she said.

“Through the 15th amendment to the Constitution we have strengthened democracy,” she said.

Besides, she mentioned that the Awami League government has enacted the law for the formulation of an independent Election Commission in Bangladesh.

She also said that the Election Commission was earlier attached to the Prime Minister's Office.

“We have made it (EC) independent completely and allocated separate funds for it,” said the prime minister.

“That means we believe in the independence of the EC, and the Awami League government can make that happen,” she said.

The prime minister said that her government has included an article in the Constitution, as per the verdict of the High Court, making illegal grabbing of state power a punishable offence.

“By this inclusion, I can say, the basic rights of the people, democratic rights, have been protected,” she said.

Hasina said that Bangladesh has achieved the recognition of a developing country effective from 2026.

“Inshallah by 2041 we will be able to make Bangladesh developed and prosperous Golden Bangladesh to materialise the ideals of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman," she asserted.

Chief Justice of Bangladesh Justice Obaidul Hassan, Chief Justice of India Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Anisul Huq and Justice M. Enayetur Rahim of Appellate Division also spoke at the programme.