Online Desk:  ‘National Legal Aid Services Day’ will be observed across the country tomorrow with a view to ensuring the rule of law, fundamental human rights and justice for everyone.

To mark the day, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliament and National Legal Aid Services Organisation have jointly taken various programmes.

On the occasion, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages wishing success of the day.

In his message, the President said that the greatest Bengali of all time, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had dreamt of building a democratic and prosperous country which would be free from all sorts of discrimination. Bangabandhu established a strong judiciary system by enacting the Constitution in 1972 to ensure justice for the people.

“According to the Constitution, all are equal before the law and all are entitled to equal protection of the law. In order to make this right a reality, the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina enacted the National Legal Aid Provision Act 2000 and established the National Legal Aid Services Organisation,” said the President.

He said the government under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working relentlessly to build a ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by 2041.

The judiciary will have to join this journey through establishing a modernized and smart judiciary, he added.

Stating that the programme of providing legal aid to poor, financially insolvent, physically challenged people, acid victims and widows at government expense is a reflection of Bangabandhu’s unique constitutional thoughts, the President hoped that the observance of National Legal Aid Services Day-2024 would be a success.

The President urged judges-lawyers to take effective steps to settle quickly the cases under the programmes of the government’s legal aid services.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said one of the main goals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was to establish the rule of law, fundamental rights justice for all citizens. To do so, Bangabandhu included 18 fundamental rights in the Constitution in 1972, she added.

“But after the assassination of Father of the Nation in 1975, the rules of law and basic human rights were destroyed. The occupation of power by military rulers, anti-people and anti-liberation forces had obstructed establishing the rights of the people,” she said.

She said the government has been working to build a Smart Bangladesh prosperous Bangladesh by 2041 and in the Smart Bangladesh, all government’s activities and services will be cost-effective, sustainable, knowledge-based and innovative.

“National Legal Aid Services Organisation’ has been providing legal aid to people who are financially insolvent and are unable to get justice for socio-economic constraints to ensure access to justice in the journey of sustainable development,” she added.

She said the district legal aid offices are now not merely legal aid centers, as these centres have become Alternative Dispute Resolution Centers in order to reduce pending cases in courts across the country.

“I believe, smart legal aid will help build a smart government, smart society and above all, Smart Bangladesh. With the combined efforts of all, we will be able to build ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Bangabandhu, by ensuring good governance,” she said.