Seminar on National Legal Aid Service held in Pabna

A seminar titled “National Legal Aid Service: Quality Improvement and Future Directions” was held at the conference room of the Pabna District and Sessions Judge Court on Monday, with the participation of court support officers and employees.

The seminar was organised by the District Legal Aid Office, Pabna, and presided over by Senior District and Sessions Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman, who is also the chairman of the District Legal Aid Committee.

Several senior judicial officials attended the seminar as special guests, including Special Judge Abu Saleh Md Salahuddin Khan, Judge of the Family Appellate Tribunal Md Ferdous Wahid, Judge of the Child Rape Crime Suppression Tribunal Alamgir Kabir Shipon, Judge of the Land Survey Appellate Tribunal Md Suruj Sarkar, and Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Jahangir Hossain.

Speakers discussed the current state of government legal aid services and outlined measures to improve their quality and reach. They described legal aid as a significant initiative to protect the rights of the poor and underprivileged but stressed the need for further modernisation to ensure wider and more effective access.

Court support officers and employees were urged to give greater attention to legal aid cases to improve service delivery.

Key recommendations from the seminar included the digitalisation of legal aid services through an integrated platform to simplify applications and provide timely case updates. Speakers also emphasised the need to increase public awareness by involving local administration and union councils at the grassroots level. The role of legal practitioners was highlighted, with calls for regular training and monitoring of lawyers enlisted under the legal aid programme to ensure service quality. Participants also discussed future plans to expand legal aid services beyond the district level to upazilas and unions.

In his address, the chairman said access to justice is a fundamental right and stressed that the government aims to ensure no one is denied justice due to financial constraints. He added that the focus should be on providing effective and high-quality legal assistance, not just support in name.

Judicial officers, government representation officers (GROs), and court staff from the District Judge Court and the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Pabna attended the seminar. Participants shared several constructive suggestions during an open discussion to make the legal aid programme more people-friendly.