Baby Chakraborty, KalimNews, Delhi, January 7, 2025: In a significant development, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has issued a ban on the planned visit of 50 Bangladeshi judges to India for judicial training. This move follows a recent decision by the country’s Law Ministry, which had initially approved the participation of these judges in a training program at the National Judicial Academy and State Judicial Academy in Bhopal, India. The decision was announced in a notification signed by Dr. Abul Hasanat, Deputy Secretary of the Law and Justice Department, on Sunday.
According to reports, the judges affected by this ban included Assistant Judges, Senior Assistant Judges, Joint District and Sessions Judges, Additional District and Sessions Judges, and District and Sessions Judges, along with officers of equivalent rank. These judicial officers were scheduled to attend the training from February 10 to 20, 2025. However, the Supreme Court’s intervention has led to the abrupt cancellation of the trip, disrupting the plans for the training program.
The training program in India was designed to offer advanced judicial training and capacity-building opportunities for the participants. The initial approval by the Law Ministry had been part of an ongoing effort to enhance the professional skills of lower-court judges in Bangladesh.
While the official reasons for the cancellation remain unclear, diplomatic circles suggest that the move may be linked to broader political considerations. Speculation is rife that the pro-Pakistan BNP leadership, which is reportedly exerting influence over the country’s judicial system, may have played a role in halting the judges’ trip. The cancellation of the training program follows an earlier controversy involving the incarceration of Chinmoy Maharaj, a prominent figure in Bangladesh, who has been jailed without trial.
The abrupt decision has raised concerns within diplomatic and legal circles, with some questioning the independence of the judiciary and the influence of political forces in Bangladesh’s legal system.
While the official cancellation came at the last minute, it is expected to have far-reaching implications, particularly in terms of judicial cooperation between India and Bangladesh, which had been strengthening in recent years.