Independence of Judiciary in Bangladesh: A Crisis Analysis | Constitution Watchdog Constitution Watchdog Office: 12/B, Mirpur 12, Dhaka-1216 Email: [email protected]; Website: constitutionwatchdog.org; Contact: +880 1726-079942 Date: 08/04/2026 Brief No: CW/08/26/C/A/B/4 Download Policy Brief (PDF) AN ANALYSIS OF BANGLADESH’S JUDICIAL CRISIS: WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHAT MUST CHANGE Bangladesh’s judiciary is not at a suitable position. Three events happening at nearly the same time have brought the country to a moment that demands honest public debate. On 6th April 2026, the law minister of Bangladesh Md Asaduzzaman has introduced the “Supreme Court Judges Appointment (Repeal) Bill, 2026”, and the “Supreme Court…
Author: Constitution Watchdog
Independence of Judiciary Brief: Mohammad Saddam Hossen v. Bangladesh | Constitution Watchdog Constitution Watchdog Office: 12/B, Mirpur 12, Dhaka-1216 Email: [email protected]; Website: constitutionwatchdog.org; Contact: +880 1726-079942 Date: 07/04/2026 Brief No: CW/07/26/C/A/B/3 INSTITUTIONAL BRIEF ON THE RECENT JUDGMENT “MOHAMMAD SADDAM HOSSEN AND OTHERS V. BANGLADESH” Mohammad Saddam Hossen and Others v. Bangladesh Writ Petition No. 10356 of 2024 Supreme Court of Bangladesh, High Court Division (Special Original Jurisdiction) Coram: Justice Ahmed Sohel and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury Judgment: 02 September 2025 📄 Download Institutional Brief ⚖️ Download Full Judgment A Constitution Returned to Its People There are judgments that settle disputes,…
A Facebook Post Is Not a Crime | Constitution Watchdog English বাংলা ConstitutionWatchdog Constitution Watchdog Office: 12/B, Mirpur 12, Dhaka-1216 Email: [email protected]; Website: constitutionwatchdog.org; Contact: +880 1726-079942 Date: 07/04/2026 Statement No: CW/07/04/S/T/14 A Facebook Post Is Not a Crime On the night of 5 April 2026, at around 11 PM, law enforcement walked into the home of Bibi Sawda Sumi, a 37-year-old woman and mother, and arrested her. The reason behind the arrest is reported as “She shared a Facebook post about the fuel shortage and circulated a photo card.” She left behind a three-year-old speech-impaired child. I want to…
Constitutional Concerns Over the Lapsing of the Enforced Disappearance Ordinance, 2025 A Constitutional Review | Published by Constitution Watchdog The government’s decision to allow the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedies Ordinance, 2025 to lapse without legislative consolidation raises questions that go well beyond policy preference. It touches the very architecture of constitutional protection that Bangladesh’s citizens are entitled to as a matter of right, not grace. The Constitutional Framework at Stake When legal protections against enforced disappearances are allowed to expire, the foundation of the Constitution is directly compromised across four critical articles. Article 32: Life, Liberty, and Legal Process…
বিচার বিভাগের স্বাধীনতা কি সংসদের উপর নির্ভরশীল? | সাংবিধানিক বিশ্লেষণ বিচার বিভাগের স্বাধীনতা কি সংসদের উপর নির্ভরশীল? ✍️ আইন ও সংবিধান বিশ্লেষক 📅 আপডেট: ৫ এপ্রিল, ২০২৬ ⏱️ পাঠের সময়: ৫ মিনিট এই প্রবন্ধে যা থাকছে: সংবিধানের মৌলিক কাঠামো এবং বিচার বিভাগ বিচারক নিয়োগ এবং নির্বাহী আধিপত্যের ইতিহাস সুপ্রিম কোর্ট সচিবালয় এবং প্রশাসনিক স্বাধীনতার প্রশ্ন সংসদীয় সার্বভৌমত্ব বনাম সাংবিধানিক সর্বোচ্চতা একটি সতর্কতা এবং একটি আহ্বান সংসদীয় বিশেষ কমিটি সম্প্রতি জাতীয় সংসদ সচিবালয় (অন্তর্বর্তীকালীন বিশেষ বিধান) অধ্যাদেশ, ২০২৪; সুপ্রিম কোর্টের বিচারক নিয়োগ অধ্যাদেশ, ২০২৫; সুপ্রিম কোর্ট সচিবালয় অধ্যাদেশ, ২০২৫; এবং সুপ্রিম কোর্ট সচিবালয় (সংশোধন) অধ্যাদেশ, ২০২৬ বাতিলের সুপারিশ করেছে। এই সুপারিশ…
The Borrowed Scales: Executive Capture & Bangladesh Judicial Independence 2026 A Constitutional Policy Whitepaper The Borrowed Scales: Executive Capture, the Ordinances of 2025, and the Parliament of April 2026 Authored by Md. Ibrahim Khalilullah | Published by Constitution Watchdog (CW), Dhaka Download Official Whitepaper (PDF) Contents Prefatory Note I. The Long History of the Short Leash: Executive Dominion Over the Bangladesh Judiciary II. The Constitutional Foundation: Why Administrative Independence Cannot Be Separated from Judicial Independence III. The Architecture of a Historic Reform: October to November 2025 IV. The Machinery of Reversion: What the Repeal Actually Does V. The Constitutional Argument…
Today, Constitution Watchdog is releasing the March 2026 edition of The Shadow Justice Monitor. Our findings require immediate attention from policymakers, researchers, and the public. Over a single month, we documented 46 violent or coercive incidents of extrajudicial arbitration spanning 28 districts. This is not isolated rural mediation. This is a nationwide, structural subversion of the formal justice system. We have categorized these incidents into three alarming trends. First, the suppression of non-compoundable crimes. In 16 cases, informal settlements were used to bury severe offenses, including the systematic suppression of child sexual abuse through financial coercion. Second, state complicity. We…
The Shadow Justice Monitor – March 2026 | Constitution Watchdog Constitution Watchdog The Shadow Justice Monitor Official PDF Live Monitor THE SHADOW JUSTICE MONITOR : Extrajudicial Arbitration and Human Rights Report in Bangladesh Monthly Incident Report: March 2026 Issued by Constitution Watchdog (CW) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY on Extrajudicial Arbitration Incidents This report presents findings from Constitution Watchdog’s first published monitoring cycle of extrajudicial arbitration in Bangladesh, covering 1 to 31 March 2026. Our methodology draws exclusively on verified published accounts from national and regional media outlets, which are individually cited and accessible through the source links embedded in the accompanying digital…
Constitution Watchdog — Official Statement CW/03/04/S/T/13 Constitution Watchdog Date: 03 April 2026 Statement No: CW/03/04/S/T/13 Classification: Public Statement English বাংলা Constitution Watchdog Condemns Parliamentary Move to Allow Landmark Judiciary Ordinances to Repeal — Demands Immediate Enactment in Defence of Judicial Independence and Constitutional Integrity বিচার বিভাগের প্রাতিষ্ঠানিক স্বাধীনতা ধ্বংসের অপচেষ্টার তীব্র নিন্দা এবং সুপ্রিম কোর্ট সংক্রান্ত অধ্যাদেশসমূহ অবিলম্বে আইনে পরিণত করার দাবি কনস্টিটিউশন ওয়াচডগ এর The recommendation of the Parliamentary Special Committee pertaining to the National Parliament Secretariat (Interim Special Provisions) Ordinance, 2024; the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance, 2025; the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance, 2025; and the Supreme Court…
Constitution Watchdog Office: 12/B, Mirpur 12, Dhaka-1216 Email: [email protected] | Website: constitutionwatchdog.org | Contact: +880 1726-079942 Date: 02/04/2026 Press Release No: CW/04/26/P/R/7 CONSTITUTION WATCHDOG RELEASES INAUGURAL REPORT ON VIOLENCE AGAINST MEN: 30 INCIDENTS RECORDED IN Q1 2026, HIGHLIGHTING A “CONSTITUTIONAL EMERGENCY” Download Press Release (PDF) DHAKA, BANGLADESH 2 April 2026 — Constitution Watchdog, an independent civil rights organization, has today released its inaugural quarterly report through its Violence Against Men Monitor. The comprehensive report documents thirty verified incidents of extreme violence against men and male minors across Bangladesh during the first quarter of 2026 (January – March). Describing the findings…
