National Legal Aid Services Organisation (NLASO) has realised Tk 1.87 billion as compensation for the helpless litigants through the legal aid services in the last 15 years since 2009.
Of the amount, Tk 1.80 billion was realised through the 64 District Legal Aid Offices and Tk 65.33 million through Labour Legal Aid Cells of Dhaka and Chattogram.
According to the statistics available with the NLASO, more than 1.0 million people have received free government legal services since 2009 until March 2024.
A total of 27,424 people received the services through the Supreme Court Legal Aid Office, 802,407 from the 64 District Legal Aid Offices, 28330 from the Labour Legal Aid Cells of Dhaka and Chattogram, and 164,797 from the Legal Aid Call Centre.
A total of 405,092 people received government legal consultancy services during this period. Legal Aid Offices gave support for a total of 384,886 cases and disposing of a total of 193,749 cases.
A total of 112,913 cases have been settled since 2009 until March 2024 through the ADR process, whereas initiatives were taken for 124,958 cases. A total of 212,359 people became beneficiaries of the ADR process. Total 17,328 people received the services through the hotline before setting up a national helpline call centre.
According to the NLASO report, a total of 116,645 prisoners have received government legal aid services from 2012 to March 2024.
Formal legal system is very costly, litigants have to face many formalities and spend huge amounts of money to appoint a lawyer and face the cases, and to pay court fees and other requite fees to issue summons to other parties.
Getting access to justice had remained a far cry for the toiling masses of this country. Due to various socio-economic constraints, they cannot avail justice from the court of law. They have no remedy in cases where their rights are violated. They are helpless and victimised silently.
In order to avail easy access to justice and protect the right of indigent litigants, the government in 2000 passed the Legal Aid Services Act, 2000. This Act provides free legal aid to vulnerable groups of the society. Critically disadvantaged people can get access easily to the doorsteps of the formal judicial system.
The government has set up 'District Legal Aid Office' in the 64 districts of the country and 'Supreme Court legal Aid Office' in the Supreme Court as an organisational structure for the implementation of the legal aid services.
However, the people working as panel lawyers of the legal aid offices suggested development of the legal aid offices.
Barrister Omar Farouq, who is also working as a panel lawyer for the Supreme Court Legal Aid Office, told the FE that the legal aid offices in the country should be well-equipped for providing proper legal aid to the indigent litigants.
Legal aid offices need sufficient budget for their infrastructure development, required manpower, and other issues, he said.
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