ADR can slash cases to 2 million: Law minister
Photo: PID
Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said on Tuesday the effective use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) could reduce the number of pending court cases in Bangladesh to approximately two million within the next year.
While virtually inaugurating a mandatory pre-filing mediation program across 10 districts from the ministry’s conference room, Asaduzzaman emphasized the urgency of expanding these programs.
He added, “Mandatory pre-filing mediation must be expanded to reduce the prolonged backlog of pending cases in the country and ensure speedy and accessible justice for the people.”
An inadequate number of judges struggles to manage a massive backlog of roughly 4.5 million cases nationwide. This immense caseload weighs heavily on every level of the judiciary, including the Supreme Court and subordinate district courts, reports BSS.
The minister asserted that strengthening the ADR mechanism is now a vital necessity to complement the traditional judicial system.
He highlighted data from a pilot program conducted between February and May 2026. During the period, the number of lawsuits filed under the Family Courts Act plummeted from 3,559 in 2025 to just 1,744 in 2026 - a 51 percent decrease.
Other legal areas saw even sharper declines: partition suits in Civil Judge Courts dropped by 67 percent, while pre-emption cases under the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act fell by over 88 percent.
Moreover, cases involving the Parents’ Maintenance Act decreased by nearly 19 percent, and those under the House Rent Control Act fell from 24 to 18.
Asaduzzaman also reported a significant shift regarding the Dowry Prohibition Act, where filings dropped from 5,605 to 1,810, representing a 67.71 percent decline. Across various laws, new case filings have decreased by an average of 62.2 percent.
He said, “This is highly encouraging for the judiciary. If this trend continues and the programme is implemented more extensively, it will be possible to substantially reduce the large number of new cases being filed in courts every day.”
The minister encouraged judges to identify disputes suitable for amicable settlement early on and refer them to accredited mediators or district legal aid offices. He pointed out that resolving disputes before they reach the courtroom significantly cuts down on the financial and mental hardship faced by litigants.
He added, “We believe that if disputes are resolved before cases are filed and effective mediation is also carried out in pending cases, it will be possible to reduce the current caseload of around 4.5 million pending cases to about two million within the next year.”
The program was chaired by Director General of the Directorate of Bangladesh Legal Aid Md Monjurul Hossain and Secretary Liaquet Ali Molla, attending as a special guest.
Other speakers participating virtually included Jessore District and Sessions Judge Mahmudah Khatun, Chief Judicial Magistrate of Cox’s Bazar Abu Saleh Mohammad Noman, District Legal Aid Officer Abhijit Chowdhury, and Cox’s Bazar District Bar Association President Mohammad Abdul Mannan.
