Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has stressed the need for proper police investigation to ensure justice, saying that fair probe is the foundation stone of criminal justice system.
He also said digital technology can help the investigators in this regard.
The Chief Justice spoke while inaugurating a four-day workshop titled 'Dialogue on the Use of Digital Evidence in Court' in the city on Monday.
The workshop was organised by the US Embassy through the US Department of Justice. Two US federal judges and three prosecutors, a UK criminal justice advisor and a Dhaka University law professor will conduct it.
Justice Hossain said fair investigation helps bring out the truth, so it is a prerequisite for ensuring justice.
He pointed out that the proper use of digital evidence will help the investigators carry out fair investigations.
Digital devices such as mobile phones and tabs have become an indispensable part of modern society, which facilitates creation of digital data, he added.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson also spoke.
Ambassador Miller noted that there is widespread support in the Bangladeshi justice sector for using digital evidence as it would significantly increase the credible evidence available to prosecutors and judges, help solve crimes more quickly, and reduce the backlog of cases.
Mr Dickson expressed his support for enhanced use of digital evidence in Bangladesh justice system, noting that if used properly, it can play a major role in increasing the efficiency and integrity of the administration of justice.
Participants of the workshop have been invited from tribunals where digital evidence is currently permitted under certain circumstances, including Anti-Terrorism Tribunals, the Cyber Crimes Tribunal, Speedy Trial Tribunals, and the planned human trafficking tribunals.
Representatives of the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs are also taking part in the workshop to better understand the challenges the judges and prosecutors face under the Evidence Act of 1872 as it relates to the use of digital evidence in court.
The interactive workshop will provide judges and prosecutors with fundamental information on authenticating digital evidence for use in courts, and address concerns and identify common ground among stakeholders to lay the groundwork for introducing digital evidence in the courtrooms in the future.
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