Legal aid office to be set up in dists for poor litigants
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said the government is planning to set up legal aid offices in each district to help the poor and helpless litigants.
"We have formed legal aid committees at the national and district levels to provide legal assistance to the poor litigants, but most of them are not aware of how to approach those committees," he said.
The government will soon take initiatives to raise awareness about its legal aid service, he said at a seminar on 'Effective use of district legal aid fund' organised by Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Society (RDRS) at Sheraton Hotel in the city.
The minister also said the government will amend the law concerned to make mandatory the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) system in disposing of both civil and criminal cases.
“If cases are settled through ADR system, both parties of the cases will benefit, paving the way for establishing a peaceful society,” he said.
Shafique Ahmed said the government will constitute a full-fledged National Human Rights Commission through recruiting a new chairman and six members this month.
"We are also trying to strengthen the Anti-Corruption Commission to contain corruption," he said, adding that the allegations against the government of curtailing power of this commission are not true.
Chairman of Legal Aid and Human Rights Committee of Bangladesh Bar Council ZI Khan Panna moderated the seminar addressed by former advisers of the caretaker government Sultana Kamal and Rasheda K Chowdhury, first secretary of the Netherlands Embassy Henny-de Vries, Director of Bangladesh Legal Reform Project Ian Morrison, journalist Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul and Executive Director of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association Syeda Rizwana Hasan.
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