TDS Desk

The government is going to provide Tk30 lakh as an interest-free loan to judges each for buying cars, paying necessary expenses such as registration, fitness and tax token fees.

“Tk30 lakh will be provided in a single installment as interest-free loan for buying a car and paying other concomitant charges like registration, fitness and tax token fees as per provision 6 [4] of the Bangladesh Judicial Service Members’ Interest-free Loan and Transport Service Encashment Policy, 2024,” a Law and Justice Division gazette notification said.

Signed by Law and Justice Division Secretary Sheikh Abu Taher, the gazette notification said a 1% service charge would be imposed for receiving the loan.

“Bangladesh judicial service members, district judges, additional district judges, and judicial officials’ equivalent to joint district judges, who have passed 15 years in Bangladesh Judicial Service, and senior secretary or secretary of the Law and Justice Division, who was appointed from Bangladesh Judicial Service, would get the benefit,” said another gazette notification passed in this regard on December 12.

Judges, who will buy a vehicle under the policy, will also be provided Tk50,000 a month for paying the salary of the driver and maintaining fuel costs.

The decision came following the directive of Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed to formulate policy to provide adequate transport services for the judges in the country. The chief justice, while declaring a roadmap for the judiciary on September 21, reiterated the call for providing adequate transport services for the judges of the subordinate courts.

“The fact that judges working in subordinate courts are not provided with adequate vehicles with appropriate status and facilities compared to other officials of the republic is a form of discrimination,” he said on that day.

Referring to the chief justice’s instruction in this regard, the Supreme Court Administration on December 1 sent a letter to the finance ministry to take necessary steps in this regard.