Focus on Bangla for all judicial tasks

Former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque has stressed using Bangla in all activities of the Supreme Court as an honour for Language Movement martyrs.

He made the call after paying tribute to the martyrs of the 1952 historic Language Movement at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on International Mother Language Day on Wednesday.

The head of Bangladesh Law Commission said, “Bangla should be used at all levels at the apex court. It is possible if the chief justice and others are willing to do so.”

Current Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain reached the Shaheed Minar soon after Haque left.

Syed Mahmud Hossain said “We are ensuring the usage of Bangla for judicial tasks. We will take initiatives to expand its usage at the High Court.”

“Many of the judges still write down verdicts in Bangla. Hearings are done in Bangla,” he said brushing off the claim that there was no use of Bangla in the High Court.

ABM Khairul Haque started writing verdicts in Bangla in 2007 when he was a High Court judge. He continued the practice after being promoted to chief justice.

Former chief justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman also followed the trend.

Justice ARM Amirul Islam Chowdhury used to write the orders and verdicts in Bangla, according to a write-up by Justice Haque.

Different government offices often face criticism for not complying with the Bangla Language Introduction Act 1987.

All letters, records, legal notices and other legal orders must be written in Bangla by all government offices, courts and semi-government institutions, according to the act.

According to bdnews24, correspondences to foreign organisations are out of its purview.

The High Court has time and again issued orders on the authorities to ensure vehicle number plates, signboards, foundation stones and advertisements be written in Bangla.

It has issued a rule to stop the distortion of Bangla language in programmes and advertisements aired by radio and television channels.

But the practice of using Bangla for official purposes has not been visible in the High Court till now.

A few years ago, a parliamentarian made a proposal that Bangla should be made mandatory at all levels in the court.