28 lakh cases pending, alternative dispute resolution a must: Law minister

Law Minister Anisul Huq today said there is no alternative to the system of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for freeing the judiciary from the huge backlog of cases.

Stating that there is a burden of 28 lakh pending cases in the lower courts of the country, he said if a dispute can be settled through ADR outside the court before it turns into a case, waste of valuable time and money can be prevented.

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The law minister was speaking as chief guest at a meeting on “development of the alternative dispute resolution activities of district legal aid for resolving case backlog” at Judicial Administration Training Institute in Dhaka.

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He said some laws were formulated earlier to encourage the ADR system, but the people were not getting its result as there is no legal aid office at the district level.

The government has given priority to the ADR for this purpose and is working to ensure the rights of people to get justice, the minister said.