Bureaucrats dominate legal aid services

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan yesterday expressed utter dismay at the inconsistencies and financial constraints of the National Legal Aid and Services Organization (NLASO), saying that this organisation is not run by the judiciary, but in fact dominated by the bureaucrats.

"The chief justice has no role in the national committee of this organisation. There are no representatives from the chief justice there. After the minister, those who are in the committee, are all bureaucrats. It is also not clear to whom the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee is accountable," he said.

The chief justice was speaking as chief guest to a discussion meeting titled, "Smart Legal Aid, Smart Country -- Bangabandhu's Bangladesh" and "Proliferation of Smart Legal Services in the High Court" organised by the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee.

The event was organised at the Supreme Court Auditorium on the occasion of National Legal Aid Day-2024.

He said there is a Legal Aid Committee in the Supreme Court and its chairman will be nominated by the chief justice.

"He or she will be a judge of the High Court Division. It has been decided who will be with the chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee. But to whom is the chairman responsible? To the National Legal Aid and Services Organization or the chief justice? This part is not clarified," he said.

He also said the lawyers who are providing services to the litigants are also being deprived. He said he learned from three former chairmen of the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee that the budget is very low.

In his written speech, the chief justice said helpless litigants are constantly facing physical, mental, and financial losses due to long delays in the disposal of cases, and one of the ways to resolve this problem is to settle the cases through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) system.

"The judiciary of Bangladesh has become hunchbacked due to an intolerable backlog of cases. Against the huge number of cases, the number of judges is very insufficient. As a result, people seeking justice are being affected. I believe the country's legal aid offices can play a significant role in this regard," he said.