Over 35,000 underprivileged people receive govt legal aid last year

The number of underprivileged, poor, and oppressed citizens receiving free legal assistance from the government hit a record high last year, with over 35,000 individuals benefiting from the service, according to figures from the National Legal Aid Services Organization (NLASO).

Moreover, a total of 32,166 disputes of various types were resolved across the country last year under the government-run legal aid organisation. In contrast, only 526 disputes were settled in 2015, when the initiative first began.

Over the past decade, a total of 146,121 disputes have been settled through legal aid service. In addition, last year alone, a record 35,234 individuals received free legal support, the highest since the organisation's inception.

Today, the organisation will be observing the National Legal Aid Day. This year's theme is "There is no joy in conflict, let's reconcile. Legal aid is by your side, no need to worry."

To mark the occasion, rallies, discussions, announcements, legal aid fairs, health camps, and documentary screenings have been organised across Dhaka and all districts and upazilas nationwide.

A discussion meeting will be held at 11am at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, where legal adviser Asif Nazrul will attend as the chief guest.

The government established NLASO after passing the Legal Aid Services Act in Parliament on 28 April 2000. Although formed in 2001, the organisation remained largely inactive for about eight years due to staffing and regulatory shortcomings. It was reorganised in 2009, and now operates legal aid offices and local committees in all 64 districts.

Speaking to The Business Standard, NLASO Director (District Judge) Syed Azad Subhani said, "Last year, the highest number of people received legal aid. We are also working actively on alternative dispute resolution outside the courts."

"When disputes are resolved through reconciliation, both parties benefit, and it contributes to social stability. If citizens are willing to resolve disputes amicably, it saves time, effort, and money."

According to NLASO data, between 2009 and March 2025, a total of 413,687 individuals received legal aid across Bangladesh, including 205,903 men, 205,823 women, and 1,959 children.

During the same period, 212,151 cases were resolved through government-funded legal assistance, comprising 26,925 civil cases, 138,268 criminal cases, 45,524 family cases, and 1,434 other cases.

Since 2009, the number of people benefiting from legal aid has steadily increased, reaching a cumulative 1,195,075 beneficiaries so far. Initially, more men received assistance, but since 2016, the number of female beneficiaries has been rising, now matching the number of male beneficiaries.

Currently, multiple High Court benches are working actively to provide legal aid to detainees awaiting trial and to speed up long-pending cases, leading to growing interest among vulnerable and financially insolvent individuals in seeking free legal services.

Under the organisation's guidelines, any person below the annual taxable income threshold is eligible for legal aid. This includes individuals who are partially or fully unemployed, VGD card-holding impoverished mothers, victims of human trafficking or acid attacks, persons with disabilities without income, and others deemed financially insolvent by the courts or jail authorities.

NLASO provides free assistance not only for court cases but also facilitates alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods. Every district court has a legal aid office staffed by a legal aid officer, typically a judge of assistant or senior assistant level, and maintains a panel of government-paid lawyers.