BSS, Dhaka :
The government provided free legal aid to over five lakh people in the last ten years through the National Legal Aid Services Organisation (NLASO).
The Awami League government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formulated Legal Aid Services Act, 2000 to provide legal assistance to the people who are financially insolvent, penniless or unable to get justice because of various socio-economic reasons and formed NLASO. “But the issue remained neglected from 2001 to 2008. After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed government for the second time in 2009, implementation of that act gained momentum. A total of 5, 07,040 people were been given legal aid free of cost since 2009,” Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq told BSS.
The minister said the organization managed to realize Taka 35.36 crore as compensation for the poor and helpless people during the period. “The NLASO, through its 64 district legal aid offices, provided legal aid to 3, 84, 823 people, served 20,092 people though Supreme Court Legal Aid Office, 83,918 people were given free legal aid though toll-free national helpline ‘16430’ and 18,207 people were given legal assistance through labor legal assistance cells in Dhaka and Chattogram,” Anisul added. The NLASO has disposed a total of 1, 26, 492 cases since 2009. Following direction of the law minister, NLASO has kept its toll free helpline ‘16430’ running for 24 hours to provide any kind of free legal advice and information to people sitting back in their homes amid this ongoing COVID-19 situation.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the National Legal Aid Day on April 28, 2016, launched the service and it became more and more popular with the passing of time.
Apart from giving service through toll-free national helpline from 2016, the government in 2018 launched ‘BD Legal Aid App’ and justice seekers can download the app on their smart phone from Google Play Store and avail the service.
Legal aid activities are going on in the country’s Supreme Court from 2015 through the Supreme Court Legal Aid Office (SCLAO). SCLAO is also providing the following services – legal advice, filing and dealing cases, expert opinion on the merit of the cases and bearing the actual cost of cases.
The NLASO is a statutory body working under the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to adopt policies and principles for making legal services available under the Legal Aid Services Act, 2000. Any poor person is entitled to get free legal aid services. Besides, any individual receiving old-age allowance, distressed mother holding a VGD card, women and children victims of trafficking and acid throwing, insolvent widow, abandoned or distressed woman, disabled person and poor detainee can avail of the free legal services.
The government provided free legal aid to over five lakh people in the last ten years through the National Legal Aid Services Organisation (NLASO).
The Awami League government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formulated Legal Aid Services Act, 2000 to provide legal assistance to the people who are financially insolvent, penniless or unable to get justice because of various socio-economic reasons and formed NLASO. “But the issue remained neglected from 2001 to 2008. After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed government for the second time in 2009, implementation of that act gained momentum. A total of 5, 07,040 people were been given legal aid free of cost since 2009,” Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq told BSS.
The minister said the organization managed to realize Taka 35.36 crore as compensation for the poor and helpless people during the period. “The NLASO, through its 64 district legal aid offices, provided legal aid to 3, 84, 823 people, served 20,092 people though Supreme Court Legal Aid Office, 83,918 people were given free legal aid though toll-free national helpline ‘16430’ and 18,207 people were given legal assistance through labor legal assistance cells in Dhaka and Chattogram,” Anisul added. The NLASO has disposed a total of 1, 26, 492 cases since 2009. Following direction of the law minister, NLASO has kept its toll free helpline ‘16430’ running for 24 hours to provide any kind of free legal advice and information to people sitting back in their homes amid this ongoing COVID-19 situation.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the National Legal Aid Day on April 28, 2016, launched the service and it became more and more popular with the passing of time.
Apart from giving service through toll-free national helpline from 2016, the government in 2018 launched ‘BD Legal Aid App’ and justice seekers can download the app on their smart phone from Google Play Store and avail the service.
Legal aid activities are going on in the country’s Supreme Court from 2015 through the Supreme Court Legal Aid Office (SCLAO). SCLAO is also providing the following services – legal advice, filing and dealing cases, expert opinion on the merit of the cases and bearing the actual cost of cases.
The NLASO is a statutory body working under the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to adopt policies and principles for making legal services available under the Legal Aid Services Act, 2000. Any poor person is entitled to get free legal aid services. Besides, any individual receiving old-age allowance, distressed mother holding a VGD card, women and children victims of trafficking and acid throwing, insolvent widow, abandoned or distressed woman, disabled person and poor detainee can avail of the free legal services.
