Law Minister calls for more effective legal aid to reduce the backlog of cases
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman has said that legal aid programs must be made more effective to reduce the backlog of cases in the country. He said that justice is an eternal and innate right of people – legal aid services must be delivered to the doorsteps of every person in the country to ensure this right.
He said these things while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion meeting organized on the occasion of ‘National Legal Aid Day-2026’ at the Supreme Court Auditorium on Tuesday (April 28) afternoon. The meeting was organized by the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee.
The Law Minister said that the idea of legal aid in Bangladesh first came in 1994. At that time, the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia formed a legal aid fund for the poor and helpless. He mentioned that the government is working to make that initiative more comprehensive and effective by 2026. Regarding the increase in the budget of the judiciary, the minister said that it is important to increase the allocation in this sector.
The current allocation for the judiciary is around Tk 2,200 crore, which is less than the requirement. He also said that additional funds will be required to make the legal aid activities more dynamic. Discussions are underway with the concerned parties in this regard and he is committed to increasing the allocation in the future.
The event, chaired by Justice Qazi Zeenat Haque, Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee, was also addressed by Justice Farah Mahbub of the Appellate Division, Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Attorney General Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal, Registrar General of the Supreme Court Mohammad Habibur Rahman Siddiqui, Director General of the Bangladesh Legal Aid Directorate Md. Manjurul Hossain and Legal Aid Officer of the Supreme Court Md. Imtiazul Islam. The event was attended by Supreme Court judges, lawyers, legal aid officers and representatives of foreign development partners.
