DHAKA: Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed said the government is working to amend both the civil and criminal laws for introducing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) system of justice to get over a huge backlog of pending cases.

He also said constitution is the supreme law of a land and the judiciary is its guardian. “If someone changes the constitution by declaring martial law and making martial law proclamation, then the Supreme Court reserves the right to proscribe it,” the law minister told a function of judges Saturday.              

Barrister Shafique observed that the Fifth Amendment, which had ratified the doings of martial law regimes since the August 15, 1975 coup, has rightly been struck down.

“The cancellation of the Fifth Amendment has been done absolutely in a right direction towards consolidating the democracy,” he said, adding that there is no scope for extra-constitutional military takeover bypassing the highest law of the land. 

The law and justice minister was speaking in the inaugural session of a 25-day foundation training course for the newly appointed assistant judges and judicial magistrates at Judicial Administration Training Institute (JATI) as the chief guest.

Addressing the new recruits in the judiciary he said that this is a sacred duty and “all of you have to work in the interest of country’s people”.

The barrister noted that justice delivery in the country is delayed due to a few sections of laws. “You ought to see to it,” he told the up-and-coming judges.    

BDST: 1420 HRS, SEP 18, 2010