Cannot afford a lawyer? Where to turn for free legal aid in Bangladesh
Women, men and children who are unable to file cases due to financial constraints or who are detained in jail without trial are also eligible for state-funded legal assistance.
A large number of people in Bangladesh live below the poverty line, struggling to meet even their basic needs. As a result, when they become entangled in legal disputes, many are effectively deprived of justice. Financial hardship often prevents them from appointing lawyers, leaving them without proper legal representation and access to fair trials.
Bite-Sized: Where to get free legal aid if you can't afford a lawyer in Bangladesh
To address this, several bodies provide free legal aid to financially insolvent litigants. However, due to a lack of clear information about eligibility and application procedures, many people remain unaware of these services or are unable to access their legal rights.
Under the Legal Aid Services Policy, 2014, financially disadvantaged litigants are entitled to legal assistance under the following provisions:
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According to the policy, the government provides legal aid at its own expense to the helpless and the poor.
This support is available in civil, criminal and family cases.
Women, men and children who are unable to file cases due to financial constraints or who are detained in jail without trial are also eligible for state-funded legal assistance.
Where to go for help
People seeking free legal aid can approach the following institutions:
- National Legal Aid Services Organisation (NLASO): A government body that provides free legal assistance to poor and disadvantaged people.
- District Legal Aid Office: Located in every district under the NLASO, these offices are key points for accessing legal aid.
- Union Legal Aid Committees: Legal aid services are also available at the union level to facilitate access for grassroots communities.
- District Legal Aid Offices housed within district judge court buildings across the country.
- Supreme Court Legal Aid Office at the Bangladesh Supreme Court.
- Labour Law Legal Aid Cells at labour court buildings in Dhaka and Chattogram.
In addition, several NGOs continue to play an active role in ensuring access to justice. These include Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association (BNWLA), Madaripur Legal Aid Association and Brac.
Who is eligible
Clause 2 of the Legal Aid Services Policy sets out eligibility criteria. Legal aid may be provided to individuals with low income or those receiving income-related benefits.
For Supreme Court cases, applicants with an annual income of less than Tk1.5 lakh are eligible, while for other courts the threshold is Tk1 lakh. The same limits apply to freedom fighters and workers, respectively.
Legal aid is also available to:
- Persons who are fully or partially unable to work, or who are unemployed
- Any child
- Victims of human trafficking
- Women and children subjected to physical, mental or sexual abuse
- Homeless or destitute persons
- Members of small ethnic minority communities
- Recipients of old-age allowances
- Survivors of domestic violence or those at risk of such violence
- Destitute mothers with VGD cards
- Women or children who are acid attack survivors
- Beneficiaries of housing or land allocation in model villages
- Insolvent widows, abandoned wives and destitute women
- Persons with disabilities
- Financially insolvent undertrial detainees
- Persons deemed financially helpless by courts
- Prisoners identified or recommended as insolvent by jail authorities
What legal aid covers
Under the policy, legal aid includes:
- Legal advice and assistance in cases that may be filed in court
- Legal support in ongoing or pending cases
- Payment of lawyers' fees and relevant case-related costs
- Payment of honorariums to appointed mediators or arbitrators
The legal aid framework is designed to ensure access to justice for all, allowing financially insolvent people to receive legal services free of cost.
To implement this system, the government has established the National Legal Aid Services Organisation and formed district committees in every district, chaired by the district and sessions judge.
Legal aid committees have also been set up at the upazila and union levels. As part of this organisational structure, District Legal Aid Offices have been established in all 64 districts of the country.
Helpline and digital services
To make legal aid more accessible, the government launched a toll-free national helpline call centre in 2016 at the NLASO headquarters. Calls to the helpline are free of charge.
During office hours, anyone can dial 16430 from any mobile phone or landline to receive legal advice, legal information, counselling, preliminary guidance on filing cases, information on government legal services and assistance in lodging complaints related to service delivery.
Legal aid is also available through digital platforms. In 2018, the government launched the BD Legal Aid App to provide online legal services. Citizens can also seek free government legal assistance by contacting director-nlaso.gov.bd via email or through the bdnlaso Messenger service.
