Bangladesh, July 21 -- Mandatory pre-case mediation, aimed at settling disputes before they reach court, is showing promising results in easing Bangladesh's case backlog, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman has said.

Launching the initiative virtually in 10 districts on Tuesday, he said greater progress in clearing the case backlog would be possible if the initiative could be implemented "more effectively".

Noting that around 4.5 million cases are currently pending across the country, Asaduzzaman said creating the scope for dispute resolution before cases reach court would cut the time, cost and suffering faced by litigants, while easing pressure on the courts.

Citing pilot project data, he said case filings fell by an average of 62.02 percen...