No state organ should accuse another: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for maintaining an understanding between the state's three organs -- legislature, judiciary and executive -- to run the country successfully.
“A state could never be run properly if one of these [organs] accuses another... everyone should remain alert to this,” she said.
The PM was addressing a function marking the National Legal Aid Day in the capital's Osmani Memorial Auditorium.
The Day was observed across the country aiming to make people aware of the legal assistance provided by the government to the poor and insolvent justice seekers.
Hasina said every branch has power as the legislative frames laws, the judiciary implements those and the executive ensures enforcement of laws.
“So, none of the three state organs can move alone as all of them need to move ahead maintaining an understanding. I'll only say no one should forget that the state should have to be run properly taking everybody along.”
The PM called upon judges and lawyers to serve people with a more humane attitude to them to reduce their suffering.
“Come forward with the mindset of serving people. It's not possible to ease the suffering of justice seekers by merely enacting laws and enhancing infrastructural facilities,” she observed.
Hasina said her government was working to establish an independent, neutral and modern judiciary system hoping that such legal aid services would help reduce discrimination.
The government introduced the legal aid services and the poor and distressed people were getting its benefits, she told the programme.
She said her previous government (1996-2001) had enacted the National Legal Aid Services Act, 2000, but the subsequent BNP-Jamaat government stopped providing such services.
Over the last eight years, legal aid services were provided to some 2,31,626 people, including 1,66,339 females and children, with public fund. Some 46,546 cases were disposed of under the government's legal aid programme during the same period, the premier mentioned.
Chaired by Law Minister Anisul Huq, the function was addressed, among others, by Law and Justice Division Secretary ASSM Zahirul Haque.
A presentation on the successes and achievements of the National Legal Aid Services Organisation was screened on the occasion.
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