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Lecture on judicial activism

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In the media Daily-Sun, Bangladesh - 27th November 2012

The Human Rights Law Clinic (HRLC) at the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh South Asian Institute of Advanced Legal and Human Rights Studies (UMSAILS) has organised a lecture session on judicial activism recently.

The lecture styled “Judicial Activism: A Tool for the Protection of Human Rights” was held in its conference room in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. Dr. Ridwanul Hoque, an associate professor of law at the University of Dhaka, was the key note speaker.

Among others, Anisur Rahman, assistant professor and head of the department of law, Eastern University, and Shankor Paul, head of the human rights unit at Concern Universal, Bangladesh spoke at the session. Dr. Uttam Kumar Das, a human rights lawyer, moderated.

The speakers observed that there is a need for a pro-active role of judges and relevant legal professionals for the strategic exploration and utilisation of judicial activism to ensure people’s access to justice.

According to Dr. Ridwanul Hoque, there is a lack of understanding and scholarship among respective stakeholders including judges in Bangladesh on the concept and applications of judicial activism. Experts in legal education can play a key role here.

In case of Bangladesh, he observed, the judicial activism is yet to be fully explored: “There is a need of academic scrutiny of the judiciary and legal professions as well.”

He also appreciated the importance of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), saying there are significant contributions of PIL in protecting human rights of citizens and non-citizens in Bangladesh.

A total of 19 law students and academics participated in the lecture session.

Source: daily-sun.com