DHAKA, Aug 18, 2026 (BSS) - Government has stepped up efforts to tackle the country's mounting judicial backlog by combining legal aid, mediation, digital technology and faster judicial proceedings, with a target of significantly reducing the more than 45 lakh pending cases within the next year.

The coordinated initiative is aimed at making justice more accessible, particularly for poor and disadvantaged people, while reducing procedural delays and resolving suitable disputes through mediation before they reach the courts.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman said the government is working to strengthen legal aid services at the grassroots level, expand mediation facilities and introduce digital systems to make judicial procedures faster and more efficient.

"There are currently around 45 lakh pending cases in the country, and the government aims to significantly reduce the backlog within the next year. In this regard, the coordinated use of legal aid, mediation, digital technology and judicial proceedings will play a crucial role," he said on the sidelines of a coordination meeting on accelerating digital legal aid.

A strong advocate of legal aid and mediation, the law minister stressed the need to recognise and motivate outstanding legal aid officers to encourage excellence in legal aid services.

He called upon the director general of the Directorate of Bangladesh Legal Aid Services to take necessary steps to recognise eight "Best Legal Aid Officers" - one from each of the country's eight divisions - for their outstanding and exemplary performance in providing legal aid services.

The minister also called for initiatives to recognise 20 judicial officers from across the country based on assessments of their outstanding and exemplary performance in the judiciary.

"Such recognition would encourage the concerned officials to improve their performance and would also be positively considered in providing financial incentives and giving priority in promotions and important postings," he added.

The government and its stakeholders are considering a range of measures to make digital legal aid more accessible and effective for disadvantaged and marginalised communities.

Among the key proposals under consideration is strengthening and coordinating the activities of 57 Upazila Legal Aid Committees and 413 Union Legal Aid Committees in nine districts - Rajbari, Habiganj, Barguna, Netrakona, Joypurhat, Thakurgaon, Jhenaidah, Khagrachhari and Bogura.

The initiative seeks to transform the committees into effective grassroots platforms for delivering legal aid, enabling poor people, women, persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups to access legal advice and assistance more easily.

The stakeholders are also considering expanding opportunities for mediation so that disputes can, where appropriate, be resolved before reaching court.

"Compromisable cases involving people in jail should be settled quickly through mediation under legal aid. If a small case remains pending for years, it costs the government a huge amount of money, while accused persons in serious crimes sometimes manage to escape punishment," the law minister said.

Describing mediation as a corruption-free mechanism, he earlier said, "If we can implement it successfully, I believe we can significantly reduce the backlog in our courts. The number of pending cases now exceeds 45 lakh, and mediation can help bring that figure down substantially."

Meanwhile, the government has introduced the e-Bail Bond system in 28 districts to reduce delays and procedural bottlenecks and ease the burden on courts, lawyers and litigants.

The system was first introduced in Narayanganj on October 15, 2025, addressing long-standing delays and bureaucratic hurdles that traditionally hampered bail procedures.

In the second phase, it was rolled out on January 21, 2026, in Manikganj, Bandarban, Meherpur, Joypurhat, Moulvibazar, Panchagarh, Jhalokathi and Sherpur.

The system was subsequently launched in Bogura, Jhenaidah, Jashore, Magura, Rajshahi, Natore and Kushtia in the third phase.

On August 13, the government launched the system in Tangail, Kishoreganj, Munshiganj, Cox's Bazar, Chandpur, Rangamati, Sirajganj, Bagerhat, Patuakhali, Habiganj, Thakurgaon and Jamalpur in the fourth phase.

The law minister said a bail bond previously had to go through 12 complicated steps to reach the jail from the court before an accused could be released.

"Now, lawyers can submit bail bonds with a single click on their smartphones, from their chambers or any other location," he said.