Lecture on Judicial Activism

Dhaka, 10 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 organized a lecture session on  “Judicial Activism: A Tool for the Protection of Human Rights” on 10 November 2012 at its conference Room in Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
Dr. Ridwanul Hoque, Associate Professor of the Department of Law, University of Dhaka was the keynote speaker. 
Among others, Mr. Anisur Rahman, Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Law, Eastern University and Mr. Shankor Paul, Head of Human Rights at Concern Universal, Bangladesh spoke at the session. Dr. Uttam Kumar Das, a Humphrey Fellow and Human Rights Lawyer moderated it.
The speakers and discussants observed that there is a requirement for a pro-active role of judges and relevant legal professionals for the strategic utilization of judicial activism for ensuring the people’s access to justice. 
According to the keynote speaker, there is a lack of understanding and scholarship in Bangladesh on the concept and application of judicial activism. The legal education may play its role in building up an environment that will motivate judges to take up a pro-active role, Dr. Hoque observed. 
He observed that in case of Bangladesh, judicial activism is yet to be fully explored and that the success of judicial activism depends on the creativity and innovation of the judge concerned. "There is a need of academic scrutiny of the judiciary and legal professions as well," Dr. Hoque said. 
Appreciating the importance of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), he observed that there are significant contributions of PIL in protecting human rights.  However, at the same time, there are cases where the principles and aims of PIL are misused and/or overused, the speaker observed.
A total of 19 law students and academics participated in the lecture session.#

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Additional Information:
Dr. Ridwanul Hoque authores a book titled Judicial Activism in Bangladesh: A Golden Mean Approach (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2011).