47 Lakh Pending Cases, 5 Appellate Judges: Constitution Watchdog Calls for Immediate Action on Judicial Crisis

Bangladesh’s judiciary is in a state of emergency. As of December 31, 2025, over 47.42 lakh cases are pending across the country’s courts. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has only 5 sitting judges handling more than 41,000 pending cases. The High Court Division has 101 judges against a backlog of over 6.59 lakh cases. In the lower courts, the number has crossed 40 lakh.

Bangladesh has one judge for every 78,023 citizens, one of the lowest ratios in South Asia. Tens of thousands of new cases are being added to the backlog every quarter. The system is not keeping up. It is collapsing.

The people paying the price are not the privileged. They are ordinary citizens who cannot afford endless legal fees. They are accused persons sitting in prison despite obtaining bail, simply because no bench has time to hear the matter. They are families waiting years, sometimes decades, for verdicts in serious criminal cases.

The repeal of the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance, 2025 has created further uncertainty around fresh judicial appointments at the worst possible time.

Constitution Watchdog was founded on the belief that the Constitution is not merely a document. It is a living promise to every citizen of this country. That promise includes the right to timely justice. Today, that promise stands broken, and silence is not an option.

The state must act. Now.