Looking ahead to legal aid services in Bangladesh: is access to justice an unattainable ideal?

This article critically evaluates the administration of legal aid funding in Bangladesh, while drawing valuable insights from the legal aid systems of England and Wales and New South Wales (Australia). Access to justice, a fundamental human right enshrined in international frameworks, plays a vital role in both political and social contexts. However, financial constraints often prevent individuals from effectively exercising this right, particularly when navigating formal and informal justice systems. As a constitutional obligation, Bangladesh is mandated to ensure access to justice for all citizens. Through empirical analysis, the study identifies significant shortcomings in Bangladesh's legal aid framework, including inadequate funding, institutional inefficiencies, procedural hurdles, and bureaucratic complexities that impede access to justice. Drawing on the best practices of the countries examined, the article proposes the adoption of alternative legal aid services as a viable strategy to mitigate the challenges facing Bangladesh's existing system and to enhance the effectiveness of legal aid delivery.