Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked concerned authorities to expeditiously dispose off rape and arson cases that led to deaths of people.
“Now, it is being seen that rape, murder, arson attack, and killing of people by setting fire, are going on due to social degradation,” she said while opening the National Legal Aid Services Day, 2019 at a hotel in Dhaka on Sunday.
She also asked the concerned authorities to ensure tougher punishment for those involved in such misdeeds, reports BSS.
Sheikh Hasina asked the Law Ministry to take appropriate actions to dispose off cases that are pending for lengthy periods, as many people are currently languishing in jails without knowing their faults and reasons for their stay in prison.
The government wants everyone to get justice, she added.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Anisul Huq presided over the function.
Secretary of Law and Justice Division of the ministry, ASSM Zahurul Haque also spoke while Director of National Legal Aid Services Organization (NLASO), Md Aminul Islam gave the welcome address on the occasion.
She said, her government has enacted the Legal Aid Services Act, 2000 to pave the way of giving justice to the poor, incapable, and helpless litigants following the footsteps of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“The judiciary should be reshuffled in such a way that the people can get justice in one and a half years and we are making arrangements in this respect. Hope it will happen accordingly,” the premier quoted the Father of the Nation as saying.
Any poor citizen, especially acid attack victims, widows or husband abandoned females, people languishing in jail without trial, differently abled people, victims of human trafficking, or people who are unable to get justice, are being given legal assistance at government’s cost through the service, she mentioned.
Permanent legal aid offices have been set up in each upazila
Permanent legal aid offices have been set up in each of the upazilas and posts of Legal Aid Officer at 64 districts were created, and judges are being appointed to make the national legal aid services effective, she mentioned.
Legal aid committees have been formed at each of the union, upazila and district, and special committees has been formed to give legal aid to ‘chowki adalat’ and ‘labour court’, she said.
The government has introduced alternative dispute resolution (ADR) system to discourage the people from filing cases, and to settle the issues out of court, she said.
Legal aid offices have taken initiatives to dissolve 17,929 pre-case and post-case issues through the ADR and mediation and 16,513 litigants received its benefit, she also said.
1.68 lakh cases have been disposed off in last 10 years
As many as 393790 litigants have been given legal aid services free of cost, and 1.68 lakh cases have been disposed off in the last 10 years, she said.
The prime minister said, there is no substitute for independent judiciary in establishing the rule of law, which is necessary to give the democracy, which was achieved through sacrifices, a permanent shape.
The government has appointed 1026 judges in the trial courts since 2010, while appointment of 99 others is under process, aimed at resolving the long pending cases, she said, adding that 128 additional judges have been given vehicles with drivers.
Initiatives have been taken to ensure the use of information technology at all the levels for transparency and accountability of the judiciary so that people get justice, she added.
The government has taken measures to give training to 540 judges at Western Sydney University in Australia and 30 judges in Japan, while two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) have been signed with India to give training to 1500 judges, she added.
Virtual courts on the cards
She said that her government will form virtual courts through which the trial process will be held online to speed up the disposition.
This year, the National Legal Aid Services Day is being observed with the theme of “Sheikh Hasina’s contribution to Bangabandhu’s Sonar Bangla: Providing Legal Aid Free of Cost (Bangabandhu’s Sonar Banglay Sheikh Hasinar Obodan: Binamulle Legal Aid e Aini Sebadan)”.
To make people aware of the legal aid services, the government declared April 28 as National Legal Aid Services Day on January 29, 2013.
