Dhaka: Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Prof Dr. Asif Nazrul announced today that more than 2,500 ‘ghost’ cases filed during the previous Awami League government across 25 districts have been identified for withdrawal within the next seven days. ‘The work of identifying ghost cases filed during the Awami League regime began immediately after the interim government appointed public prosecutors. Initiatives have been taken to withdraw these ‘harassment’ and ‘ghost’ cases,’ he stated at a press conference held at the secretariat.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Asif Nazrul explained that after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, amid a popular uprising led by students, law officers from the previous period fled courts nationwide. This necessitated the interim government to appoint 4,000 law officers from a list of several thousand lawyers. Asif Nazrul outlined the criteria used to identify ghost cases, which included examining whether cases were police-filed, related to the Explosives Act, Arms Act, or Special Powers Act, and whether there were allegations of attacks on police. He noted that many of these cases involved unknown accused and were filed around significant opposition movements, including those by the BNP, or the three ‘fake’ elections during the AL regime.
The adviser also mentioned the cancellation of an unreasonable tax on marriage registration by the law ministry. He stated that the ICT Division is considering withdrawing or amending the Digital Security Act (DSA), with 332 cases under this act categorized as speech offenses. Out of these, 57 cases are under investigation, and 113 have already been withdrawn through the public prosecutor. Asif Nazrul expressed optimism that all related cases will be withdrawn within two weeks.
Additionally, a gazette notification of the Supreme Court Judge Appointment Ordinance, 2025 was issued, addressing concerns over unqualified judicial appointments based on party considerations. A draft law proposed by the Chief Justice’s Office and the Reform Commission includes the formation of a Judicial Appointment Council, led by the Chief Justice. Asif Nazrul hopes that future High Court judges will be appointed per this new law. He acknowledged the long-standing demand for a separate judiciary secretariat and revealed that preparations are underway to establish a law for a permanent attorney service within a month.
Furthermore, Asif Nazrul highlighted that the law ministry has digitized the process for attesting 36 types of documents, reducing public harassment and saving both time and money for the people.