Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain yesterday called upon district judges to take prompt measures to help the country's poor and destitute people get justice.

“When the accused persons are taken to court from the police station, ask them whether they are capable of hiring a lawyer. If not, take immediate steps to help them get a lawyer through the (government) legal aid office,” he said.

The CJ was addressing a views-exchange meeting in the Supreme Court auditorium.

SC Legal Aid Committee of National Legal Aid Services Organisation (NLASO) and rights body Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) arranged the programme on “Government Legal Service in Higher Court, Expectation of Justice-seekers, and the Role and Doable of Related Persons including Lawyers in Conducting Jail Appeal Cases”.

The chief justice said lower courts have to be sincere about settling cases referred through the legal aid office. He also said he will strongly consider forming a separate, or multiple benches to dispose of jail appeals.

Jail appeals refer to appeals filed by convicted prisoners through the jail authorities.

Jail superintendents, district and sessions judges, legal aid officials and SC lawyers took part in an open discussion which laid emphasis on government legal aid including difficulties in getting the certified copy of judgement in jail appeals.

The chief justice directed the lower courts to provide the certified copy to the jail authorities sincerely, while asking the jail authorities to be sincere about the issue.

He also expressed concern over the low conviction rate (only three percent) in the cases filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

He underscored the need for finding out the root causes of this. "Organise a workshop to find out the cause. If necessary, I will attend the programme," he said.

About the conviction rate in rape cases, the CJ said necessary medical test reports in this connection are not sent timely, which creates scopes for acquittal of the accused.

“There will be little scope for acquittal if the medical test report with strong evidence is placed before the court in time,” he said.

Referring to statistics, he said 3,00,598 persons were provided legal aid at government expense in the last nine years.

During this time, 80,865 cases related to civil, criminal, and family affairs were disposed of through the district legal aid committees, while 1,803 jail appeals were also settled at the SC at the government cost.

Appellate Division Judge Justice Muhammad Imman Ali, SC Committee Chairman of NLASO Justice M Enayetur Rahim, SC Bar Association Secretary Mahbub Uddin Khokon, SC's Acting Registrar General Golam Rabbani, MJF Executive Director Shaheen Anam, Acting Inspector General (prison) of Police Col Iqbal Hasan, and NLASO Director Zafrul Hasan, among others, spoke at the discussion.