Poor denied access to justice: CJ

Staff Reporter :
Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha has expressed concern at the state’s failure to ensure justice to the poor and underprivileged people in the country.
 “We have been listening since introduction of the Constitution that everyone is equal before the law and everyone has the equal right to access to justice. But they are denied of getting the justice due to lack of competent lawyers in their support at the District level,” the Chief Justice said this while speaking at a view exchange meeting and unveiling the cover of publications as the chief guest on Saturday.
The SC Legal Aid Committee and Manusher Jonno Foundation organised the function at the Supreme Court’s Auditorium in Dhaka.
Expressing his dismay over the poor state of access of citizens to justice, Surendra Kumar Sinha said, “How far have we been able to ensure this? I would say we’ve not been able to. It’s our inability.”
In this context, he criticised the recent practice of appointing Assistant Public Prosecutors (APPs) on political considerations, not in view of professional skills.
 “The lawyers, who are loyal to any ruling party, are recruited as APPs in every district. As a result, through the money from the government fund is spent the poor cannot get justice,” he said, adding, “Earlier famous and experienced lawyers of each district were appointed as such prosecutors for criminal cases. But now the panel is made of the ruling party people instead of the experienced lawyers”.
The Chief Justice also said the National Legal Aid Services Organisation (NLASO) was established in 2000 for providing legal assistance to poor and underprivileged people. But they are not getting proper service from it due to below-par performance of the panel lawyers.
The Chief Justice mentioned that he was planning to float a fund for hiring reputed lawyers so that the destitute could be provided with effective legal aid. He also called upon the judges and lawyers to provide assistance to the minority and ethnic community people with the government funds under the legal aid cells of the NLASO in 64 districts of the country.
Chaired by Legal Aid Committee’s Chairman M Enayetur Rahim, the function was also addressed by SC Bar Association President Yusuf Hossain Humayun, Manusher Jonno Foundation’s Shahin Anam and National Legal Aid Services Organisation’s acting director Md. Mostafizur Rahman.