The High Court verdict to start using Bangla at all levels has been ignored for six years. While most verdicts or directives at the lower court are written in Bangla, English maintains its presence at the Appellate and the High Court divisions.

But if the collective effort is present, then verdicts at the Supreme Court can also be in Bengali.

High Court gave the order to use Bangla at all offices on Apr 29, 2014; an order was also issued to give adverts in both English and Bengali papers in the respective languages.

Order was given to start using Bangla for sign boards, car number plates, names of buildings etc.

A joint high court bench of justices, Kazi Rezaul Huq and A B M Altaf Hossain gave the order.

Yunus Ali Akand, the lawyer who lodged the writ, told Bangla Tribune, “Section 3 of the Bangla language popularizing law – 1987 says that Bengali has to be used at all levels though it has not been implemented.”

It’s found that justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain of the high court division delivers his verdicts in Bangla while justices M Enayetur Rahim and Md. Ashraful Kamal give occasional verdicts in Bangla.

Former law minister barrister Shafiq Ahmed told Bangla Tribune, “Bangla is our state language and therefore, all judges should deliver verdicts in Bangla.”

On Feb 21, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested the judges to write the verdicts in Bangla.

Bangladesh Bar Council vice chairman, Yusuf Hossain Humayun, told Bangla Tribune, “The call of the PM is the reflection of the desire of the masses.”

Former chief justice, A B M Khairul Huq, started to write verdicts in Bangla from Feb 11, 2007 and wrote almost all his verdicts in the mother tongue.

Supreme Court lawyer, Md Zahid Hossain said, “There are many legal words in Bangla which are difficult and to make them easy, linguists must also come forward.”