NALSA Launches New Schemes For Child-Friendly Legal Services And Support For Individuals With Mental Illness And Intellectual Disabilities

The NALSA (Child-Friendly Legal Services for Children) Scheme, 2024 consolidates and revises its previous two schemes on children, and focuses on the provision of free legal services to children, including children with disabilities. It envisions implementation of a preventive, strategic, need-based and responsive legal services programme for vulnerable children in pursuance of India's vision and commitments under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

The NALSA (Legal Services to Persons with Mental Illness and Persons with Intellectual Disabilities) Scheme, 2024 updates and revises NALSA's previous scheme and seeks to align the mandate of the Legal Services Institutions with the legislative provisions under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, with the aim to ensure access to free legal services for persons with mental illness and persons with intellectual disabilities. The Scheme seeks to ensure that legal services are responsive to the specific legal and social needs of persons with mental illness and persons with intellectual disabilities, and to ensure their equal access to schemes, facilities, services and legal representation.

Both the Schemes were finalized after an extensive public consultation process wherein comments were invited from the stakeholders, including - concerned Government Departments, Legal Services Institutions, academicians, practitioners and other experts. The Scheme for children has been drafted in collaboration with UNICEF India and the Scheme for persons with mental illness and persons with intellectual disabilities has been drafted in consultation with NIMHANS, Bengaluru.

A unique feature of the Schemes is the constitution of specialized panels of legal aid lawyers, para legal volunteers and retired judicial officers, to deal with special needs of beneficiaries under the Schemes. With the constitution of a Legal Services Unit for Children (LSUC) and a Legal Services Unit: ManoNyay for Persons with Mental Illness and Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (LSUM) in each district, the Schemes further NALSA's mandate and commitments under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

The Schemes are also aligned with India's obligations under various international conventions and documents, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006, the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems, 2012, as well as the commitments in the 'New Delhi Roadmap for Strengthening Access to Justice in the Global South by Improving Access to Legal Aid Services, 2023', at the First Regional Conference on Access to Legal Aid: Strengthening Access to Justice in the Global South, organized by NALSA last year.

Download the Schemes:

NALSA (Child-Friendly Legal Services for Children) Scheme, 2024 [Click here]

NALSA (Legal Services to Persons with Mental Illness and Persons with Intellectual Disabilities) Scheme, 2024 [Click Here]

For any further information please contact: nalsa-dla@nic.in