In Bangladesh’s Barishal district, a growing crisis has brought the justice system to a standstill. For three consecutive days, all court proceedings have ground to a halt following the arrest of 12 lawyers, including the president of the District Bar Association. Litigants arriving at courthouses are left frustrated and empty-handed, their urgent cases delayed indefinitely.
Local media reports paint a vivid picture of the chaos. On Thursday morning, dozens of plaintiffs showed up at the District and Sessions Court and other judicial facilities, only to turn back without resolution. Among them was Sabuj Hawladar, who spent hours shuttling between courtrooms clutching his case documents, desperately seeking a lawyer to file a bail petition.
Speaking to reporters from The Daily Star in the court premises, Sabuj revealed his ordeal. Three months and ten days ago, a case was registered under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act against three individuals, including Akbar Ali Hawladar, who is currently out on bail. When Sabuj approached the High Court for bail, he was directed back to the lower court. But with proceedings suspended for three days, he couldn’t submit his petition.
‘The deadline to file the bail application ends on Sunday,’ Sabuj explained. ‘With Friday and Saturday being holidays, Thursday was effectively the last working day. I’m extremely distressed because the courts aren’t functioning.’
The trigger for this disruption traces back to Tuesday afternoon. Lawyers, allegedly led by Bar Association President Sadiqur Rahman Lincoln, reportedly vandalized the courtroom of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media, prompting a case under the Speedy Trial Act for courtroom destruction and threatening the judge.
The complaint was filed by the magistrate’s bench assistant, Rajib Majumdar, leading to Lincoln’s arrest and imprisonment that same afternoon. Come Thursday morning, protesting lawyers demanded his immediate release on bail, threatening to suspend court work indefinitely if their demands weren’t met.
An anonymous protesting lawyer told The Daily Star, ‘Courts in Barishal have been closed for 72 hours now. Litigants are suffering, but when lawyers themselves face injustice, we have no choice.’ He warned that the agitation would continue until the ‘false case’ is withdrawn and the president granted bail.
As the standoff persists, the ripple effects are felt across Barishal’s legal landscape. Hundreds of pending cases involving bail applications, family disputes, and criminal matters hang in limbo, raising serious questions about access to justice in the region. Authorities face mounting pressure to resolve the impasse before it spirals further, but with deadlines looming and tempers flaring, a quick resolution seems elusive.