Dhaka: The Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee (SCLAC) has sought the lists of prisoners who remain imprisoned in jails for a long time without trial.

On Wednesday, the committee sent letters to the country’s all jails seeking two lists of the prisoners -- one listing those who are imprisoned for over five years and the other including the names of those who are in jail for over 10 years without trial, reports UNB.

Meanwhile, the committee also wrote the Islamic Foundation requesting it to ask the khatibs of all mosques across the country to inform Musallis (devotees) during Jum’a prayers that the government provides the poor justice seekers with legal aid free of cost.

In the letters sent to jails, it was mentioned that the state bears the cost of running cases for poor and helpless people in the Supreme Court.

It came to the notice of the SCLAC that many prisoners remain imprisoned in several jails without any trial, it said observing that it would be possible to provide legal aid to the poor prisoners if a list containing their names is sent to the committee.

The matter came to fore after a private television channel aired an investigating report that Shipon, a murder case accused, had been in jail for 16 years without any trial.

Following the report, the High Court on November 8 granted bail to Shipon until the case is disposed of. He was finally released from jail on Tuesday.