Chief Justice Obaidul Hasaan said a decline in mutual respect within the country is leading to a deviation from principles and an increase in corruption. 

He made these remarks while addressing an audience as the chief guest at the International Mother Language Institute auditorium in the capital on Monday.

“Respect for each other has decreased in our country. No one listens to anyone, resulting in our becoming unimportant to each other. One force blames another, and one organisation over another. Consequently, we are deviating from policy and getting involved in corruption,” said the Chief Justice.

“Friends and families should be vigilant about the sources of their relatives' incomes. Unless the corrupt persons are isolated and boycotted, the profound damage caused by corruption will never be remedied,” he added.

Giving an example from the life of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Chief Justice said, “Five corruption cases were filed against Bangabandhu before independence. From jail, he wrote a letter to his father expressing his pain, stating that since they had labeled him corrupt, he would no longer engage in politics. He was later acquitted in all cases by the High Court due to the presence of strong judicial proceedings.”

“Corruption exists to some extent in all political systems. However, there are numerous measures available to speak out against it. While it may not be completely eradicated, it can be significantly reduced,” he added.

The Chief Justice also pointed out that corruption has increased despite the gradually rising rate of literacy, adding that "laws alone do not solve all problems and address corruption; awareness and social movement are crucial for this."

The discussion, titled "Bangabandhu's Commentary on Corruption and Building a Corruption-free Society," was organised by the National University (NU). NU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md. Moshiur Rahman presided over the programme.