Staff Reporter:
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul yesterday hoped that the Legal Aid Ser-vices (Second Amendment) Ordinance and other reform initiatives of the ministry will reduce the over-all pressure of cases across the country to a large extent.
He said this while presiding over a views-exchange meeting on the draft proposal of the Legal Aid Ser-vices (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 at the seminar hall of the Judicial Administration Training Institute in the capital.
Dr. Asif Nazrul said, “The first reform we introduced is that, Legal Aid is now operating effectively. As a result, case disposal has increased at least twofold—and even more in some areas. Our future plan is to transform this into a directorate.”
“If the legal changes we have made are properly implemented, then, one-fourth of all cases filed in court can be disposed of through Legal Aid. This means the case burden on courts will be reduced by nearly one-fourth,” he added.
The Law Adviser further stated, “Previously, judges serving as civil judges had to receive oral petitions and written statements, which used to take one to three years. Now, since these are submitted through affidavits, each civil case saves nearly two years. Earlier, separate cases had to be filed for decree execu-tion in land-related disputes, which took another three to five years. That time is no longer required.”
He noted, “We often overlook what has been achieved and lament what has not. Instead, we should focus on improving the reforms already made, spreading awareness, and ensuring that more beneficiaries know about them.”
Dr. Asif Nazrul said, “Many people make various allegations. However, 70 to 80 percent of the pro-posals made by the Judicial Reform Commission have already been implemented. So, if some continue to complain about the remaining 25 or 30 percent, it’s not a problem—but they should not ignore the fact that the major portion of reforms has already been achieved. Moreover, we must appreciate the tire-less efforts of officials in the Ministry of Law and the Attorney General’s Office who are working day and night.”
On constitutional reforms, the Law Adviser remarked, “Reforms should not be confined only to the Con-stitution. We need to change our mindset. Some people believe that everything will be solved once something is written in the Constitution—but unless we change our political culture and ourselves, noth-ing will truly change. The process is not easy, but we are trying our best.”
He added, “I believe that if we continue reform efforts gradually and sustain this journey, we will reach a much better position. I urge whoever wins the next election to continue these reforms so that the pro-gress made so far can be advanced further to strengthen the country’s legal system.”
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman were present as the special guests at the program.
Senior officials from the Law Ministry and the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission were also pre-sent.
