NALSA Plans To Have Legal Aid Defence Counsel System In All Districts : Justice UU Lalit

Mr. Justice U.U. Lalit, judge of the Supreme Court and the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority delivered the welcome address at the 1st All India District Legal Services Authorities Meet organized by the NALSA. The meet was on implementation of unified business process across the country for providing effective legal aid to marginalised & poor people.

While talking about the completion of 25 years of legal services aid in India, he stated that a lot had been learnt from the past 25 years. He stated that in the last 15 months, two basic and broad ideas had emerged, first was the success of Lok Adalats and second was awareness programs that could be initiated, propagated and completed by the legal service authorities.  While highlighting the work completed by the legal service authorities, Justice Lalit stated that –

"The idea was to reach every village in the country at least thrice in the period of 42 days. We covered in those 42 days 19.5 lakhs...Our villages were 6.78, so that means about thrice the target we set for ourselves, we completed it."

While discussing the programmes initiated, Justice Lalit stated that the NALSA proposes to have legal aid defence counsel system in districts in the lines of public prosecutors' offices. For that purpose, he stated that they had selected 350 districts in the entire nation, which also comprised of 112 aspirational districts which according to the Government of India were to be given top priority on parameters such as infrastructure, facilities and opportunities which were not available in an acceptable manner.

He also stated that another plan is to ensure that every district legal services authority is equipped with e-library. While elaborating upon the same he stated that –

"The office will function as a nodal office so far as all the prisoners in the districts are concerned so as to have an interface with them."

While commending the members of the Legal Service Authorities, he stated that–

"The role which you have displayed in 42 days awareness programme was spectacular...you are the persons who work on ground level, it is through you that the flame of awareness was taken to every remote corner of the country."

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