'1028 not brought to court in last 2 years'

"The jails in the country have the capacity for 27 thousand prisoners, but over 72 thousand prisoners are already there," he added.

Moudud was speaking at the roundtable titled "The government legal aid programme: Perspective 2006" organised by Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) in the city.

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He said the legal aid services act was formulated to ensure equal access to law as guaranteed under the constitution, and to this end 44 thousand people, mostly poor and women, were benefited.

BLAST Vice-chairman Justice Naimuddin Ahmed said there is still miles to go before feeling self-content.

"How can you be satisfied while the officer-in-charge becomes subjected to union parishad chairman?" he posed the question, adding that since the UP chairman works for the local MP, the ruling party manipulates the pace of judicial activities in the rural areas.

Apart from explaining the legal aid services act from different perspectives, Soma Islam, deputy director of BLAST, in her key-point presentation drew the attention of the minister to a few limitations of the act.

She said the national legal aid services organisation should be turned into an autonomous body with full time management and staff and awareness among people from all strata.

"Unrealistic income limit for eligibility to get legal aid which now stands at Tk 3000 per annum and unwillingness of the District Judges to sit with the bar and making decision are among other factors that impede the progress of the implementation of the act," she added.

Taslimur Rahman, executive director of BLAST, moderated the programme.

Nasreen Begum, director of national aid services organisation, and Francois Ramsay, resident director of Bangladesh Legal Reform Project Part B, (A CIDA-Canada project) also spoke on the occasion.