শনিবার, ১৭ অক্টোবর ২০২৬, ০৫:৫৪ অপরাহ্ন
DHAKA, Oct 17, 2026 (BSS) – Government’s free legal aid service has helped 240 detainees secure bail in Dhaka over the past three months, providing legal representation to underprivileged justice seekers who cannot afford to hire lawyers.
The Dhaka District Legal Aid Office provides four services entirely free of charge: legal advice, legal representation at government expense, waiver of lawyers’ fees and other litigation costs, and settlement of disputes through alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
These services are available for various types of cases, including land disputes, family disputes, dowry-related cases, and violence against women and children.
According to the Dhaka District Legal Aid Office, the 240 detainees secured bail between July and September 2026. Most of them were rickshaw-pullers, day labourers, garment workers and domestic workers.
The service is provided in every district of the country under the Directorate of Bangladesh Legal Aid (DBLA). Under the Legal Aid Services Act, people with an annual income of less than Taka 150,000, those unable to work, landless and destitute people, widows, elderly people, persons with disabilities, beggars and anyone detained in prison are eligible for free legal assistance.
Victims of violence against women and children and human trafficking are also entitled to legal aid regardless of their income.
“Many detainees are unaware that the government provides lawyers free of charge. We have a legal aid clinic in the prison. Once an application is submitted there, a lawyer is appointed within 24 hours. Our goal is to ensure that no one remains in jail without trial simply because they cannot afford legal representation,” said Dhaka District Legal Aid Officer (Senior Assistant Judge) Sayem Khan.
He further said that people can seek legal aid by visiting the Legal Aid Office on the fifth floor of the Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate Court building, calling the national toll-free helpline at 16699, or submitting an application online.
Advocate Firoz Uddin, a panel lawyer of the Dhaka District Legal Aid Office, told BSS that a common perception in society is that “court proceedings involve huge expenses and pursuing a case means financial ruin.”
Because of this fear, many people endure injustice rather than seek legal recourse, he said.
“I want to make it clear that if you lack money, you will not be deprived of your right to justice,” he said, adding that government-funded legal assistance is opening up new avenues for people who cannot afford the cost of litigation.
