Pro-ruling party lawyers recruited as APPs: CJ

The lawyers, who are loyal to any ruling party, are recruited as assistant public prosecutors (APP) in every district, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha said today.

“Earlier, in every district, the famous and renowned lawyers used to be appointed as APP in criminal cases. This post was dignified. But now they (loyal to ruling party) are being recruited instead of the experienced lawyers,” the chief justice said.

He came up with the remark while addressing a ‘Meeting of SC Legal Aid Committee with Lawyers’ as the chief guest at the Supreme Court’s auditorium in Dhaka this morning.

Poor and underprivileged people are not getting proper service from the National Legal Aid Services Organisation (NLASO) due to below-par performance of the APPs (panel lawyers), he added.

Expressing disappointment over the lawyers’ performance, the chief justice further said, “The lawyers are not capable of doing their job properly as they are not that experienced.”

He also called upon the judges and lawyers to provide assistance to the minority and ethnic community people with the government funds under the legal aid cells of the National Legal Aid Services Organisation in 64 districts of the country.

Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam was also present at the programme presided over by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chairman of the SC Legal Aid Committee.