High Court Division of Bangladesh 2026: Jurisdiction, Benches, Filing and Choosing an Advocate

High Court Division Bangladesh: jurisdiction, benches and practice in 2026

The High Court Division Bangladesh litigants deal with is the busiest court in the country and the one with the widest reach. It hears writ petitions against the State, company and admiralty cases at first instance, first appeals and revisions from the district courts, criminal appeals, bail applications and election petitions, and it supervises every subordinate court and tribunal. Its powers come from Articles 101, 102 and 109 of the Constitution and from a long list of statutes, and its 2026 caseload exceeds six lakh pending matters.[1] [11]

This is TRW's hub guide to the Division. It explains where the court sits within the Supreme Court, each head of jurisdiction, how benches are formed and matters assigned, how a case moves from filing to hearing, what happened to the 2025 judicial appointment reforms, how the Supreme Judicial Council works, what the backlog figures mean, and how to choose and brief a Supreme Court advocate in Dhaka. Procedure for individual remedies is in our companion guides, linked throughout.

Summary: The High Court Division is one of the two divisions of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. It has constitutional writ jurisdiction under Article 102, original jurisdiction conferred by statutes such as the Companies Act 1994, the Admiralty Court Act 2000 and the Succession Act 1925, appellate and revisional jurisdiction over civil and criminal courts, and superintendence over all subordinate courts under Article 109. Its decisions bind every subordinate court and can be taken to the Appellate Division as of right in limited cases and otherwise only with leave.

Key point: The court is reached through the right bench, not just the right remedy. Under Article 107(3) the Chief Justice decides which judges form each bench and what each bench hears, and the bench list changes regularly. A motion moved before a bench without jurisdiction over that subject matter is wasted, however strong the case.

At a glance

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Table of Contents

Where the High Court Division sits in the Supreme Court

Article 94 establishes a single Supreme Court for Bangladesh, comprising the Appellate Division and the High Court Division. The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice and as many other judges as the President considers necessary for each division. The Chief Justice and the judges appointed to the Appellate Division sit only in that division, and the other judges sit only in the High Court Division. Article 94 also declares that the Chief Justice and the other judges are independent in the exercise of their judicial functions, subject to the Constitution.[1]

Article 100 fixes the permanent seat of the Supreme Court in the capital, Dhaka, while allowing the Chief Justice, with the President's approval, to appoint other places at which the High Court Division may hold sessions.[1] In practice all benches sit in Dhaka, so a litigant in Chattogram, Rajshahi or Sylhet needs counsel who practise there.

Who sits on the court

Under Article 95 the President appoints the Chief Justice and, after consultation with the Chief Justice, the other judges. A candidate must be a citizen and have at least ten years as an advocate of the Supreme Court, at least ten years in judicial office in Bangladesh, or such other qualification as law may prescribe.[1] Article 98 allows the President to appoint Additional Judges for up to two years, who may later be made permanent; most new judges start this way.[1] Article 96 sets retirement at sixty-seven.[1]

On 24 September 2026 the confirmation of Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury as a permanent judge brought the number of permanent High Court Division judges to 100. He had served as an Additional Judge since 8 October 2024, and his confirmation had been held back because he had not yet reached the age of forty-five.[12] Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury administered the oath.[12]

Relationship with the Appellate Division

The Appellate Division hears appeals from judgments, decrees, orders and sentences of the High Court Division. Under Article 103(2) an appeal lies as of right only where the High Court Division certifies that the case involves a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution, where it has confirmed or imposed a sentence of death or imprisonment for life, where it has punished a person for contempt of itself, or in other cases provided by an Act of Parliament. Every other appeal requires leave under Article 103(3).[1] The leave procedure is covered in our guide to the civil petition for leave to appeal in Bangladesh.

Article 111 completes the hierarchy. The law declared by the Appellate Division binds the High Court Division, and the law declared by either division binds all courts subordinate to it.[1] A High Court Division judgment is therefore precedent for every district court, tribunal and special court in the country until the Appellate Division says otherwise. That is why a well-chosen writ or revision can change practice across an entire sector.

Constitutional jurisdiction of the High Court Division Bangladesh law confers

Article 101 is the master provision. It gives the High Court Division such original, appellate and other jurisdiction and powers as are conferred on it by the Constitution or any other law.[1] The Constitution itself supplies four powers that define the court: the writ jurisdiction in Article 102, superintendence under Article 109, the power to withdraw cases under Article 110, and the contempt power that comes with Article 108. Parliament adds the rest by statute.

Article 102: the writ jurisdiction in outline

Article 102(1) allows any person aggrieved to apply for directions to enforce the fundamental rights in Part III. Article 102(2) allows the court, if satisfied that no other equally efficacious remedy is provided by law, to direct a person performing functions in connection with the affairs of the Republic or a local authority to refrain from doing what the law forbids or to do what it requires, or to declare an act done without lawful authority and of no legal effect. It may also, on the application of any person, examine the legality of a detention or require a public office-holder to show the authority under which the office is held.[1]

Article 102(3) bars interim or other orders under the Article in relation to laws to which Article 47 applies, and Article 102(5) excludes courts and tribunals under laws relating to the defence services and disciplined forces, and tribunals to which Article 117 applies.[1] Standing, the alternative remedy rule, delay, interim orders and appeals are explained step by step in our writ petition guide, and the grounds the court applies are analysed in our guide to judicial review in Bangladesh. This hub does not repeat them.

Article 109: superintendence and control

Article 109 states that the High Court Division shall have superintendence and control over all courts and tribunals subordinate to it.[1] The power is both administrative, through circulars and practice directions to subordinate courts, and judicial: it allows the court to correct a subordinate court that acts without jurisdiction or in flagrant disregard of procedure where no ordinary remedy is adequate. It is the constitutional backstop behind civil revision, criminal revision and the inherent power to quash proceedings.

Article 110: withdrawing constitutional questions

Where the High Court Division is satisfied that a case pending in a subordinate court involves a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution, or a point of general public importance, the determination of which is necessary for the disposal of the case, it may withdraw the case. It may then dispose of the case itself, or decide the question of law and return the case with a copy of its judgment, to which the subordinate court must conform.[1]

Article 108: court of record and contempt

Article 108 makes the Supreme Court a court of record with all the powers of such a court, including the power, subject to law, to make an order for the investigation of or punishment for any contempt of itself.[1] Contempt proceedings in the High Court Division usually begin with a petition alleging wilful disobedience of an order or judgment, on which the bench issues a Rule against the alleged contemnor. A punishment for contempt carries an appeal as of right to the Appellate Division under Article 103(2)(c).[1] For a party with a favourable order that is being ignored by a public body, a contempt petition is often faster than fresh proceedings.

Original jurisdiction of the High Court Division Bangladesh statutes create

Outside the Constitution, the High Court Division is a trial court for several classes of case that Parliament has chosen to keep at Supreme Court level. These matters start in the Division, are heard by a single judge or a bench assigned to that jurisdiction, and go next to the Appellate Division.

Company matters

Section 3(1) of the Companies Act 1994 makes the High Court Division the court with jurisdiction under the Act. The Government may, by gazette notification, delegate those powers to a District Court for companies with a registered office in that district; for winding up, "registered office" means the place where it was located at any time in the six months before the petition.[3] Section 3(2) adds that proceedings are not invalid merely because they were filed in the wrong court.[3] Rectification of the register, oppression and mismanagement petitions, schemes of arrangement and winding up are all company matters. See our guides to winding up a company in Bangladesh and shareholder disputes in Bangladesh.

Admiralty

Section 3(1) of the Admiralty Court Act 2000 provides that the High Court Division shall be the Admiralty Court. Section 4 provides that admiralty jurisdiction is exercised generally in personam, with actions in rem against a ship or property available for specified claims, where a maritime lien or charge exists, or against a ship beneficially owned by the person liable.[4] Ship arrest, the core admiralty remedy, is therefore available only from the High Court Division. Our analysis of the Admiralty Court Act in Bangladesh covers the claims, arrest and security.

Probate and letters of administration

Section 300(1) of the Succession Act 1925 gives the High Court Division concurrent jurisdiction with the District Judge in the exercise of all the powers conferred on the District Judge by the probate and administration provisions. Section 300(2) qualifies this: except in cases to which section 57 applies, the Division may not receive applications for probate or letters of administration where the deceased is a Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Jaina or exempted person until the Government has authorised it by gazette notification.[5] Section 299 sends appeals from the District Judge's orders to the Division.[5] Most grants are therefore made by District Judges; see our guide to letters of administration in Bangladesh.

Matrimonial causes under the Divorce Act 1869

For marriages governed by the Divorce Act 1869, mainly Christian marriages and marriages under the Special Marriage Act 1872, "Court" means the High Court Division or the District Court. A petition for dissolution may be presented to either, the Division may remove and try any suit pending before a District Judge, and a decree of dissolution made by a District Judge is subject to confirmation by the High Court Division.[6] Muslim and Hindu family disputes, by contrast, go to the Family Courts; our guide to divorce procedure in Bangladesh sets out the forums.

Election petitions

Disputes over parliamentary election results are tried in the High Court Division under Article 49 of the Representation of the People Order 1972. After the February 2026 general election, a single bench led by Justice Md Zakir Hossain sat as the election tribunal, and by 2 March 2026 it had taken up ten petitions challenging results in constituencies including Rajshahi-1, Pabna-4, Dhaka-6 and Dhaka-7.[13]

International commercial arbitration and the Commercial Courts Act 2026

Applications to set aside an award made in an international commercial arbitration seated in Bangladesh are heard by the High Court Division; see our guide on how to set aside an arbitral award in Bangladesh. The Commercial Courts Act 2026 (Act No. 23 of 2026) preserves this original jurisdiction: its definition of a commercial dispute expressly excludes matters within the original jurisdiction of the High Court Division and matters within the Artha Rin Adalat's jurisdiction.[7] Company, admiralty and other Division matters therefore stay where they were, rather than moving to the new Commercial Courts.

Appellate and revisional jurisdiction

Most of the High Court Division's work comes up from below, through vehicles that differ by subject matter, each with its own limitation period, court fee and bench.

Civil appeals and revisions

Appeals from original decrees of District Judges and Additional District Judges, and from Joint District Judges in higher-value suits, are filed as First Appeals. Appeals from orders, including orders in succession, arbitration and miscellaneous cases, are filed as First Miscellaneous Appeals. Where no appeal lies, a party may seek revision under section 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which is moved as a Civil Revision and usually begins with a Rule. Pecuniary thresholds, limitation and drafting are covered in our guides to civil appeals in Bangladesh and civil revision in Bangladesh.

Commercial Appeal Benches

The Commercial Courts Act 2026 adds a new stream. Section 3(4) requires the Chief Justice to constitute one or more Commercial Appeal Benches in the High Court Division to hear appeals and revisions from the Commercial Courts, and section 6(2) allows an aggrieved party to file the appeal or revision within sixty days of the judgment or order.[7] Our guide to the Commercial Courts Act in Bangladesh explains which disputes are affected.

Criminal jurisdiction

On the criminal side the Division hears criminal appeals against convictions by Sessions Courts and special tribunals, criminal revisions, applications to quash proceedings under section 561A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, bail applications in Criminal Miscellaneous Cases, and death references. Each is handled by benches assigned to that work. Our guides to High Court bail, criminal appeals, criminal revision and section 561A quashment cover the procedure in each.

Stays and interim orders

Almost every application to the High Court Division Bangladesh lawyers file carries a prayer for interim relief: a stay of the impugned order, a stay of execution, an order of status quo, or ad-interim bail. Interim relief is often what the client needs most, and the bench's decision on it is frequently the turning point of the case. The different routes, and appeals to the Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division, are covered in our guide to stay orders in Bangladesh.

The table below maps the main heads of jurisdiction to the vehicle used and the guide that covers it. On a phone, scroll it sideways.

Taking a matter to the High Court Division Bangladesh: when it is the right forum

The question is rarely whether the High Court Division has jurisdiction. It is whether the Division is the right forum now, given the remedy sought, the stage reached below and the cost of a Supreme Court case. Four situations account for most first instructions.

Public authority action

A licence cancelled without a hearing, a tender awarded in breach of the rules, a tax or customs demand made without jurisdiction, a bank account frozen without authority or an unlawful detention: these are writ cases. The test is whether the respondent performs functions in connection with the affairs of the Republic or a local authority, and whether a statutory appeal would be equally efficacious.[1] Where a statute provides a full appeal to a tribunal, the court will usually expect the litigant to use it first.

An order below that cannot wait

An interlocutory order that will cause irreparable harm before final judgment, an attachment, an injunction refused or granted, or a bail refusal by a Sessions Judge typically goes up to the Division by revision, appeal from order or criminal miscellaneous application. Timing matters: an application filed after the harm has occurred achieves little.

A case that must start in the Division

Company petitions, admiralty suits, ship arrest, election petitions and challenges to awards in international commercial arbitrations have no lower-court alternative. The choice is made for the client by statute, and the work is in preparing a petition that meets the Division's rules on form, affidavits and annexures.[3] [4]

A final decree or conviction

Where a District Judge's decree, a high-value Joint District Judge's decree, a Commercial Court judgment or a Sessions conviction is final, the appeal to the Division is a matter of right. The real question is interim protection, usually a stay of execution or bail application filed with the appeal.

Benches and how matters are assigned

The High Court Division Bangladesh lawyers appear before does not sit as one court. It sits as dozens of single and division benches, each with a defined jurisdiction. Article 107(3) provides that, subject to rules of court, the Chief Justice shall determine which judges are to constitute any bench of a division and which judges are to sit for any purpose, and Article 107(4) allows the Chief Justice to authorise the next most senior judge of either division to exercise those powers in that division.[1]

Reading the bench list

The Supreme Court publishes a bench list showing each courtroom, the judges sitting and the jurisdiction of each bench, set out in Bangla and often running to a paragraph. One division bench may take writ motions on VAT, customs and income tax; another, criminal motions under the anti-corruption and money laundering laws; a single bench, company matters or admiralty suits. The list is reconstituted periodically, and a bench's jurisdiction can change from one sitting to the next. How to read the list and find a pending case is explained in our guide to Supreme Court case search in Bangladesh.

Single benches, division benches and special benches

Writ petitions and death references are typically heard by division benches of two judges, while many civil revisions, company matters and admiralty suits go before single judges.

The Chief Justice also forms special benches for particular work. In June 2026 Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury formed a special division bench to prioritise cases involving violence against women and children, which had disposed of 22 death references by mid-September.[11] The February 2026 election petitions were assigned to a single bench, and the Commercial Courts Act 2026 requires dedicated Commercial Appeal Benches.[13] [7]

Once a bench has the case

Counsel cannot choose a bench by preference. A motion must go to the bench that holds jurisdiction over its subject matter and, where relevant, its value or district, and a matter moved before the wrong bench is returned.

Filing and mentioning: steps from filing to hearing

The mechanics of a High Court Division Bangladesh case are governed by the Supreme Court (High Court Division) Rules. Chapters IV and IVA deal with motions and with mentioning, and every practitioner works within them.[2] The broad sequence is the same for writ petitions, civil revisions and criminal miscellaneous cases, with differences in the Section that receives the papers.

Preparing and filing

The application is drafted in the prescribed form, supported by a sworn affidavit, and filed with the impugned order, the relevant lower court record or correspondence, and a vakalatnama in favour of the advocate. The concerned Section examines the papers, records the matter with a number and year and, for writ petitions, sends it for swearing of the affidavit before giving the filer a slip so the matter can be mentioned.[2]

Mentioning

A matter reaches a bench through a Mention Slip filed during the bench's mention hour, recording the case details, the purpose and the name of the advocate. The Bench Officer gives it a serial number and arranges for the case to appear in the daily cause list.[2] A writ petition must be mentioned within 30 days after the affidavit is sworn, and civil and criminal motions must be filed within 45 days of the affidavit.[2] Motions not reached on the day appear in the next day's list as "In re" items, which take priority over newly filed motions.[2]

Motion hearing, Rule and interim order

At the motion hearing the bench decides whether there is an arguable case. It may summarily reject the application, or issue a Rule calling on the respondents to show cause, usually with a return date, and may grant interim relief. The petitioner must then file requisites for service; until they are furnished, no copy of the order is delivered.[2] Respondents file an affidavit in opposition, the petitioner may reply, and the Rule waits for the final hearing list.

Final hearing and judgment

When the Rule is listed for hearing, counsel argue it in full and the bench either makes the Rule absolute, granting the relief sought, or discharges it. Judgments may be delivered at once or reserved and pronounced later. The certified copy, essential for compliance or for an appeal to the Appellate Division, is obtained through the copying section; the process and realistic timelines are in our case search and certified copy guide.

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Judges' appointment: from the 2025 ordinance to the 2026 repeal

For decades Bangladesh had no statute on the selection of Supreme Court judges beyond Article 95, and the Article's reference to qualifications "prescribed by law" was never filled. The interim government that took office in August 2024 tried to change that. It issued the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance 2025, which created a Judicial Appointment Council to handle appointments to the Supreme Court.[8] Twenty-five judges were appointed to the Supreme Court under it.[8] Our earlier analyses of the Supreme Judicial Appointment Council and the 2025 judicial appointment selection framework describe that model.

The repeal

The elected Parliament did not retain the ordinance. On 9 April 2026 it passed the Supreme Court Judge Appointment (Repeal) Bill 2026, moved by Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman.[8] A savings clause keeps valid the appointments made, actions taken and proceedings begun under the ordinance, so the judges appointed through the Council remain in office.[8] The minister told Parliament that the government wanted transparency and accountability in appointments through new measures to be pursued by constitutional amendment, and invited the opposition to join a special committee on the criteria for appointment.[8]

The position in October 2026

No replacement statute has been enacted. Appointments are again made directly under Article 95: the President appoints judges after consultation with the Chief Justice, and Additional Judges are confirmed as permanent judges under Article 98.[1] The September 2026 confirmation of Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury was made in exactly that way.[12] Any statutory or constitutional criteria will come through the constitutional reform process, which should be watched closely by anyone with an interest in the Division's composition.

The Supreme Judicial Council and removal of judges

The removal of Supreme Court judges has moved back and forth between Parliament and the judiciary. The Sixteenth Amendment of 2014 gave the power to Parliament, and the official online text of Article 96 still shows that version.[1] On 20 October 2024, however, the Appellate Division disposed of the review of its earlier Sixteenth Amendment judgment and restored the Supreme Judicial Council provisions in Article 96.[9]

How the Council works

The Council consists of the Chief Justice and the two next senior judges of the Appellate Division. It may inquire into the capacity or conduct of a judge, and acts on complaints of incapacity or breach of the code of conduct. It reports its findings and recommendation to the President, who decides on removal.[9] When the Council was restored, the then Law Adviser said that no separate notification was needed for it to start work.[9]

The Council in practice

The restored Council has been used. On 5 November 2025 the President removed Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar of the High Court Division on the Council's recommendation under Article 96(6), described as a rare instance of judicial removal in the country's history.[10] For litigants, the Council is the proper route for any complaint about a judge's conduct, rather than allegations in pleadings or the press.

Case backlog in 2026: what the numbers mean for litigants

According to Supreme Court figures reported on 15 September 2026, the Division began 2026 with 659,256 pending cases, received 74,607 new cases and disposed of 87,596 between January and the end of August, leaving 646,276 pending.[11] Disposals in those eight months exceeded the Division's whole 2025 total of 55,756 by 31,840.[11]

The Appellate Division over the same period started with 41,551 cases, received 9,139, disposed of 11,136 and ended August with 39,554 pending.[11] The trend is downward, but at the 2026 rate clearing the existing stock would take years even if no new cases were filed.

Practical consequences

Three follow for anyone taking a matter before High Court Division Bangladesh benches. First, motion hearings and interim orders are fast relative to final hearings; a Rule with a stay can be obtained within days or weeks, while a final hearing may take years. Second, interim orders are commonly time-limited, so a case left unattended can lose its protection. Third, a respondent facing a Rule left pending can apply for early hearing or to vacate the interim order. Budget separately for the motion stage and the final hearing.

Choosing and instructing a Supreme Court advocate in Dhaka

Only advocates enrolled to practise in the High Court Division may appear before it. Permission is granted by the Bangladesh Bar Council and ordinarily requires two years' practice as an advocate in the subordinate courts, followed by written and viva voce examinations; the Bar Council may exempt a candidate from the practice requirement.[14] Enrolment in the Appellate Division requires a further five years' practice in the High Court Division and is granted on application to the Chief Justice, and experienced Appellate Division advocates may be designated senior advocates.[14]

What to look for

The phrase "High Court lawyer in Dhaka" covers a wide range of practices, and choosing counsel for the High Court Division Bangladesh offers no shortcut: match the advocate to the bench and the remedy.

For a writ against a regulator, look for counsel who regularly appears before the benches holding that jurisdiction and knows the agency's legal team. For a company or admiralty matter, look for experience on the original side, where drafting and evidence matter as much as advocacy. For criminal appeals and bail, look for counsel in court daily. Always ask who will draft, who will move the motion and who will argue the final hearing, because in Supreme Court practice these are often different people.

How to brief: the documents

A good brief saves weeks. Provide the impugned order or decree with certified copies if available, the complete lower court or tribunal record, the notice, decision or correspondence being challenged, the statute and any circular relied on, a short chronology with dates of receipt, and a statement of what the client needs and by when. For a company client, include the board resolution authorising the case and the identity of the person who will swear the affidavit. State commercial urgency with evidence.

Agreeing scope and fees

Supreme Court work is usually priced by stage: drafting and filing, the motion hearing, the interim stage and the final hearing, with separate terms for any appeal to the Appellate Division. Ask for court fees and copying costs to be shown separately, and confirm in writing who holds the vakalatnama and who checks the cause list daily.

Mistakes to avoid

The common errors are avoidable. Filing before the wrong bench, letting an affidavit lapse before the matter is mentioned, failing to file requisites after a Rule issues, missing an interim order's expiry, and suppressing a material fact or a parallel proceeding all damage or end cases.[2] Suppression is treated especially seriously in writ cases, because relief is discretionary. A client should insist on a written note after every hearing setting out the order, the next date and the next step.

How TRW approaches High Court Division matters

We start by asking whether the Division is the right forum and which route reaches the right bench fastest with the strongest interim protection, then prepare the record as if for the final hearing. Our constitutional and writ litigation practice handles writ petitions, judicial review and contempt; our shareholder disputes team acts in company matters; and our banking and finance litigation practice handles appeals and revisions from the Artha Rin Adalat and the Commercial Courts. Background on the constitutional framework is in our guide to constitutional law in Bangladesh.

What to watch in 2026 and 2027

Four developments will shape practice in the High Court Division Bangladesh litigants use over the next year. First, the constitutional reform process and any new criteria for judicial appointment, following the April 2026 repeal of the 2025 ordinance.[8] Second, whether the Division sustains its 2026 disposal rate, which has pushed its pending total down.[11] Third, the constitution and workload of the Commercial Appeal Benches under the Commercial Courts Act 2026.[7] Fourth, how the restored Supreme Judicial Council is used after the November 2025 removal.[10]

Frequently asked questions

Is the High Court Division Bangladesh's highest court?

No. It is one of the two divisions of the Supreme Court created by Article 94 of the Constitution. It has writ, original, appellate and revisional jurisdiction and superintendence over all subordinate courts and tribunals.[1]

What is the difference between the High Court Division and the Appellate Division?

The High Court Division hears writs, statutory original cases, appeals and revisions. The Appellate Division hears appeals from the High Court Division, as of right in the cases listed in Article 103(2) and otherwise only with leave, and its decisions bind the High Court Division under Article 111.[1]

Which cases start in the High Court Division rather than a district court?

Writ petitions under Article 102, company matters under the Companies Act 1994, admiralty suits under the Admiralty Court Act 2000, parliamentary election petitions, and challenges to awards in international commercial arbitrations held in Bangladesh, among others.[3] [4] [13]

Does the High Court Division sit outside Dhaka?

Article 100 fixes the permanent seat in the capital and allows sessions elsewhere only if the Chief Justice, with the President's approval, so appoints. In practice all benches sit in Dhaka.[1]

Who decides which bench hears my case?

The Chief Justice, under Article 107(3), determines the composition and jurisdiction of each bench, and may delegate that power to the next senior judge. A matter must be moved before the bench that holds jurisdiction over its subject matter.[1]

What is a mention slip?

It is the form filed during a bench's mention hour to have a matter included in the cause list. A writ petition must be mentioned within 30 days after its affidavit is sworn.[2]

How are Supreme Court judges appointed in 2026?

Under Article 95 the President appoints judges after consultation with the Chief Justice. The 2025 ordinance that created a Judicial Appointment Council was repealed on 9 April 2026, with a savings clause for appointments already made.[1] [8]

What does the Supreme Judicial Council do?

Restored by the Appellate Division on 20 October 2024, the Council of the Chief Justice and the two next senior Appellate Division judges inquires into complaints about judges' capacity or conduct and reports to the President, who decides on removal.[9]

How many cases are pending in the High Court Division?

646,276 at the end of August 2026, down from 659,256 at the start of the year, according to Supreme Court figures.[11]

Can any advocate appear in the High Court Division?

No. The advocate must hold Bangladesh Bar Council permission to practise in the High Court Division, which ordinarily follows two years' practice in the subordinate courts and an examination.[14]