Sadullapur court sees 4,000 cases stuck in 10 months

GAIBANDHA, Sept 15: At the Sadullapur Senior Assistant Judge Court, every hearing date now means little more than signing the attendance register and being given another date.
There is no hearing, no recording of depositions and no verdict. The court has been without a permanent judge for nearly 10 months, leaving around 4,000 civil, family and land-related cases virtually stalled.
According to sources concerned, the regular judge's post fell vacant after Assistant Judge Abu Taher went on training and his successor, Assistant Judge Abu Raihan, was later transferred to Kurigram.
At present, the assistant judge of Palashbari is handling the court in addition to his regular duties. However, disposing of the 30 to 40 cases listed each day is virtually impossible with an additional charge.
As a result, sensitive matters such as interim orders, urgent injunctions and family maintenance claims are also being delayed. The court's official judicial helpline number has also reportedly remained inactive for a long time.
The worst sufferers are ordinary litigants. Some said cases involving domestic violence have been pending for two years. Despite paying transport costs to attend court every month, they said their cases have not progressed.
Rozina Khatun, a litigant seeking maintenance, attends every hearing with her breastfeeding child. With no permanent judge at the court, she has been forced to return home empty-handed after merely marking her attendance.
The severity of the delays is also evident from the experience of lawyer Amal Kumar Das. He said several people from both the plaintiff and defendant sides in an old land dispute have died while waiting for a verdict.
Even last May, a plaintiff died and his heirs' certificate was submitted to the court. Yet evidence recording and arguments have not begun because there is no regular judge to hear the case.
The prolonged judge shortage is also fuelling social disputes and civil unrest across Sadullapur, locals said.
Seeking an end to the deadlock, Sadullapur resident Fihad Sarker recently submitted a written application to the Registrar General of the Supreme Court seeking the appointment of a permanent judge.
The Gaibandha District Bar and affected litigants now have a single demand: appoint a full-time judge to the Sadullapur court immediately and restart proceedings in the nearly 4,000 pending cases.