Dhaka, April 28 -- The government is considering making it mandatory for every lawyer in Bangladesh to handle at least 10 percent of their cases free of charge to improve access to justice for the poor.

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman announced the plan on Tuesday, saying the law would be amended if necessary to enforce this obligation as a form of "Zakat", or charity, for the legal profession.

Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion marking National Legal Aid Day 2026 at the Supreme Court auditorium, the minister highlighted the staggering backlog of over 4 million pending cases in Bangladesh.

"We recently learnt that more than 4 million cases are pending, and the number is rising," he said.

"To reduce this backlog, we must make the ...