Chapainawabganj legal aid office settles 1,500 disputes in six months

The Chapainawabganj District Legal Aid Office resolved nearly 1,500 disputes through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the first six months of the current year.

During the same period, it also recovered and disbursed nearly Tk1.5 crore in compensation and outstanding claims to justice seekers.

Md Abu Sayeed, District Legal Aid Officer and Senior Civil Judge, disclosed the information at a media briefing on Thursday.

According to the briefing, 1,800 applications for ADR were submitted between January and June. During the same period, legal aid was provided in 250 cases pending before regular courts, while 1,400 justice seekers received free legal consultations.

The District Legal Aid Office also organised 19 awareness programmes, including meetings and seminars, across the district to increase public awareness of government-sponsored legal aid services.

In addition, numerous disputes were resolved through on-site inspections of disputed land, enabling faster and more effective settlements.

The office resolved 206 disputes through ADR in 2024, against 239 applications filed.

Following the appointment of Md Abu Sayeed as district legal aid officer in mid-March 2025, field-level ADR initiatives were significantly strengthened. On-site inspections of disputed land, prompt dispute resolution and extensive grassroots awareness campaigns helped increase public confidence in government legal aid services.

As a result, 800 disputes were resolved through ADR in 2025, with 1,000 applications submitted.

At present, the Chapainawabganj District Legal Aid Office ranks fifth among the country's 64 district legal aid offices in terms of dispute resolution and the number of applications received. It also ranks second nationwide for organising public awareness programmes.

Speaking at the briefing, Md Abu Sayeed said the primary objective of ADR is to provide people with a faster, less expensive and more amicable means of resolving disputes outside the courtroom.

Growing public awareness has led to an increasing number of people seeking government legal aid services, he added.