The interim government is set to amend the Legal Aid Services Act 2000 this month to create the post of special mediator, to be filled by retired district judges or specially trained lawyers.
Under the proposed amendment, each district legal aid committee will be restructured to include a chief legal aid officer, usually a joint district judge, alongside the current legal aid officer, typically a senior or assistant judge.
The reform is part of broader efforts to reduce case backlogs, cut litigation costs, and expand access to justice through mediation鈥攔ecommendations made by the Judicial Reform Commission earlier this year.
Interim government鈥檚 law adviser Asif Nazrul shared the details at a stakeholder meeting on the proposed Legal Aid Services (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, organised by the National Legal Aid Services Organisation at its Bailey Road office in Dhaka.
He said that the government was currently pursuing three major legal reforms to speed up justice delivery and reduce costs.
These include amending the Code of Civil Procedure to digitise court processes (already done via ordinance), amending the Code of Criminal Procedure (underway), and reforming the Legal Aid Services Act to expand the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Nazrul said that the upcoming amendment would allow the NLASO to resolve up to two lakh cases annually through mediation, up from just 35,000 at present.
鈥楨ach year, around five lakh cases are filed, but mediation through legal aid services has a 90 per cent satisfaction rate,鈥� he said.
He added that mediation would be made mandatory for small disputes like family matters, cheque dishonour cases, and compoundable criminal offences.
He, however, clarified that litigants would retain the right to go to court if mediation failed or if they were dissatisfied with the outcome.
鈥楻etired district judges will be appointed because they have experience and public trust,鈥� Asif Nazrul said.
Asked for comment, NLASO director and district judge Syed Azad Subhani told 抖阴精品 that the amendment was expected to come into effect from July 1.
He said that mediation would be conducted by three tiers of officials: retired district judges, joint district judges, and senior or assistant judges, depending on the case type.
Mediation can be conducted both at the pre-litigation stage鈥攂efore a case is filed鈥攁nd at the post-litigation stage鈥攚hile a case is pending in court.
He said that lawyers representing both sides must be present during mediation.
鈥楻etired judges are being engaged to provide a shortcut to justice as long procedure is required to follow to engage a serving judge,鈥� Subhani said, adding that infrastructure problems at district legal aid offices will be addressed as per the law adviser鈥檚 instructions.