A legal resort to the poor
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Md. Rasel Eusoofi
UNDOUBTEDLY, getting a hand from the law and to be dispensed by proper justice are the constitutional rights to all and sundry in a country. Bangladesh, a developing country of the third world where 80% of the total population lives under the poverty line, is bereft of the basic needs like foods, cloths, medicine, education and residence in the fullest sense on account of the poverty.
Although it has been declared that all citizens are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of law under the Article 27 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, bulk of the masses of this country is still devoid of necessary assistance from the Court of Law alarmingly. The prevalence of speed money, bribery, red-tapism and deliberate procrastination and prolongation of the cases embroil both plaintiffs and defendants in boundless miseries and sufferings pervasively. The sufferings watch the worst-case scenario in case of impecunious section of the society, who eventually flinches away from the premises of the Court instead of treading thereon, impeded by the fear of harassments. Additionally, poor-village women cannot pluck their hearts up to divulge their sufferings before the lawyers, as they sense the danger of "unknown consequences".
In the wake of these circumstances, Sarwar Jahan, Founder of Southern University Bangladesh, stepped forward with a noble vision to provide legal aid to the deprives of the society in general, for which he founded Southern University Legal Advice Centre at the port city, Chittagong on February 20, 2007.The objectives of this centre are to dispense legal aid to the poor at free of cost, create public consciousness regarding the Law through the legal advices and settle the small disputes, which are trifling in nature and soluble. Titling the centre as "legal resort to the poor", founder of this centre, Sarwar Jahan says, "I was feeling a strong drive from within to set up a legal advice centre for the poor section of our society, for which the centre came into being. Since its establishment, it has been operating aptly in line with the core objectives through providing the free services to its target segment."
Notably, the opportunity of practising law in our academic institutions is very paltry. At Southern University, the students of Law Department are provided with breaks to work at this centre, which enables them to have practical insights into the law and sharpen their theoretical knowledge in keeping with the practical needs, which also helps them to be imbued with the sense of corporate social responsibility.
The centre has been serving the society as a non-profit and social-welfare unit, where no compensation or remuneration is taken on the provided service. It works on the basis of complaints received and attempts to arbitrate in a dispute between the parties.
The centre is headed by Prof. Mohiuddin Khaled, Head, Dept of Law, Southern University, in association with a group of skilled faculty members of Law Department of the University.
UNDOUBTEDLY, getting a hand from the law and to be dispensed by proper justice are the constitutional rights to all and sundry in a country. Bangladesh, a developing country of the third world where 80% of the total population lives under the poverty line, is bereft of the basic needs like foods, cloths, medicine, education and residence in the fullest sense on account of the poverty.
Although it has been declared that all citizens are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of law under the Article 27 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, bulk of the masses of this country is still devoid of necessary assistance from the Court of Law alarmingly. The prevalence of speed money, bribery, red-tapism and deliberate procrastination and prolongation of the cases embroil both plaintiffs and defendants in boundless miseries and sufferings pervasively. The sufferings watch the worst-case scenario in case of impecunious section of the society, who eventually flinches away from the premises of the Court instead of treading thereon, impeded by the fear of harassments. Additionally, poor-village women cannot pluck their hearts up to divulge their sufferings before the lawyers, as they sense the danger of "unknown consequences".
In the wake of these circumstances, Sarwar Jahan, Founder of Southern University Bangladesh, stepped forward with a noble vision to provide legal aid to the deprives of the society in general, for which he founded Southern University Legal Advice Centre at the port city, Chittagong on February 20, 2007.The objectives of this centre are to dispense legal aid to the poor at free of cost, create public consciousness regarding the Law through the legal advices and settle the small disputes, which are trifling in nature and soluble. Titling the centre as "legal resort to the poor", founder of this centre, Sarwar Jahan says, "I was feeling a strong drive from within to set up a legal advice centre for the poor section of our society, for which the centre came into being. Since its establishment, it has been operating aptly in line with the core objectives through providing the free services to its target segment."
Notably, the opportunity of practising law in our academic institutions is very paltry. At Southern University, the students of Law Department are provided with breaks to work at this centre, which enables them to have practical insights into the law and sharpen their theoretical knowledge in keeping with the practical needs, which also helps them to be imbued with the sense of corporate social responsibility.
The centre has been serving the society as a non-profit and social-welfare unit, where no compensation or remuneration is taken on the provided service. It works on the basis of complaints received and attempts to arbitrate in a dispute between the parties.
The centre is headed by Prof. Mohiuddin Khaled, Head, Dept of Law, Southern University, in association with a group of skilled faculty members of Law Department of the University.