SC moves to fully digitize company courts

The resolution of corporate disputes is expected to gain fresh momentum as the Supreme Court administration moves to fully digitize the proceedings of the country's company courts.

Paperless proceedings have already commenced in one of the three company benches in order to bring dynamism, with the process set to be introduced in another bench on July 20 this year. The remaining one will also adopt the paperless process soon, according to Supreme Court officials.

With the new system, lawyers and their staff who deal with company matters no longer need to carry heavy and bulky case files from court to court. The initiative is also expected to significantly reduce the need for printing, paper, and physical storage, cutting operational expenses for both lawyers and justice-seeking people.

All the stages of a case, from filing to hearing, will be conducted electronically under the paperless court system, Md Muajjem Hussain, Special Officer of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, told The Financial Express (FE). The Supreme Court authority has initiated this paperless proceeding by developing software entirely in-house through its IT team, added the official who is also the spokesperson of the SC administration.

Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed emphasised the importance of incorporating information technology into the judicial proceedings in his roadmap outlined for the judiciary on September 21 last year.

The introduction of paperless proceedings is being viewed as a significant step towards realizing his roadmap for fully digitizing the judiciary.

Barrister Mahfuzur Rahman Milon, acting General Secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), told the FE that the initial implementation of paperless proceedings in company courts reflects the judiciary's recognition of the importance of the country's business and economic sectors.

Bangladesh has a total of 303,364 listed companies, according to the Office of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC), and only three High Court Division benches are empowered to handle all the legal disputes of these companies.

As of March 31, 2025, Bangladesh courts were burdened with a total of 4.57 million cases, according to SC data. Of the cases, 34,981 were pending before the Appellate Division, 0.59 million before the High Court Division and 3.93 million before the lower courts across the country. And the company benches of the High Court Division had a burden of 20,969 cases until March 31.

Apart from company-related matters, the benches have to deal with some other cases of special original jurisdictions. Feuds filed under the Succession Act 1925, Divorce Act 1869, Trade Mark Act 2009, Bank Company Act 1991, the Arbitration Act 2001, Bima Act 2010 and others are also being pending before these three courts.

Although some courts conducted proceedings virtually during the coronavirus pandemic, many lawyers and their assistants have yet to fully adapt to the system. As a result, they continue to face challenges with the paperless proceedings.

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