Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday directed the authorities concerned to make sure that trial proceedings are not delayed since many people are behind bars without knowing their faults.
“The delay in trial proceedings has to be reduced because there’re many people in jail who don’t know why they are behind bars. They don’t know what their faults are or how to access legal aid services,” she said.
Addressing the inaugural programme of the National Legal Aid Day 2019 at Hotel Intercontinental in the capital, she said the government has taken steps to address the problem.
“The Law Ministry will take more effective measures to reduce the delay in trial proceedings,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina also asked the authorities concerned to ensure justice with swiftness and stern punishment in case of social offences like murder, arson, burning people to death and rape.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq presided over the function. Law and Justice Division Secretary Abu Saleh Sheikh Md Zahirul Haque and Director of the National Legal Aid Services Organisation Md Aminul Islam also spoke on the occasion.
With the slogan ‘Sheikh Hasina’s contributions to the Sonar Bangladesh of Bangabandhu is to provide the free legal aid services’, the day is being observed for the seventh time to make people aware about the government’s free legal services.
The Prime Minister urged the Law Ministry, judges and other experts to find out solutions so that women are not deprived of their inheritance properly rights.
“Yes, we’ll have to abide by Islamic and Muslim laws. It’s right. But why does another person snatch girls’ rights to their fathers’ property?” she said requesting the authorities concerned to look for a solution to this issue.
Hasina said, a solution is essential since it gives a rise to many incidents of social injustice. The Prime Minister mentioned that she had talks with many religious leaders who told her the rights of daughters can be protected.
She said, though the government has introduced the legal aid services for the poor and insolvent people, particularly women from the rich section of society, who face such problems (deprivation from property rights) in many cases.
The Prime Minister said, the government will take necessary measures to expand the legal aid services to upazila and union levels which will help ease the backlog of cases.
Hasina said, the government enacted the Legal Aid Act 2000 to assist the poor and disadvantageous people of society to help them get justice.
But, the BNP-Jamaat alliance had shelved the legal aid programme after coming to power in 2001 and the Awami League government expedited the system when it returned to office in 2009, she added.
