NALSA Celebrates Legal Services Day

The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) celebrated Legal Services Day on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at Conference Hall, C-Block, Administrative Buildings Complex, Supreme Court of India.

The event was graced by  Mr. Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman, NALSA;  Mr. Justice B.R. Gavai, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Chairman, Supreme Court Legal Services Committee; and Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Hon'ble Minister of State for Law and Justice.

The Judges of the Supreme Court of India, including Justice Surya Kant, Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice Abhay S Oka, also graced the occasion. Also in attendance were Members of the Central Authority of NALSA; Secretary General, Supreme Court of India; Secretary, Department of Justice; Member Secretary, NALSA; and Officers on Special Duty, NALSA.

Patron-in-Chief and Executive Chairpersons of different State Legal Services Authorities (SLSA) as well as Chairpersons, High Court Legal Services Committees also graced the occasion virtually. The Ld. Member Secretaries and other officers of different SLSAs; Secretaries of High Court Legal Services Committees; District Legal Services Authorities and Taluka Legal Services Committees also attended the program virtually. The panel lawyers, LADCs and PLVs also attended the program virtually.

This significant day marks the enactment of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, which aims to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of society.

Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of Law and Justice, in his address commended the efforts of the legal services institutions and emphasized upon the importance of ensuring 'ease of justice' as a vital element of 'ease of living'. He assured of the Ministry's continued support to NALSA towards efforts to ensure equal access to justice for marginalised and vulnerable communities.

Mr. Justice B.R. Gavai, who is slated to take over as Executive Chairman, NALSA, in his address highlighted the crucial role played by NALSA in the recognition of rights of citizens and that we must ensure that the process of providing legal aid is without any hurdles. He further said that paralegals and panel lawyers are the backbone of legal services institutions and shared an initiative of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee wherein they increased the number of panel lawyers to expand the reach of legal services.

Mr. Justice Sanjiv Khanna in his address commended the legal aid functionaries such as Panel Lawyers, Legal Aid Defence Counsels (Nyaya Rakshaks), Paralegals Volunteers (Adhikar Mitrs) for their unwavering dedication to the cause of legal aid. He gave a detailed account of the legal services framework at present; the recent initiatives of NALSA and the vision for the future of Legal Aid in India.

The Member Secretaries of Gujarat SLSA; Mizoram SLSA; Delhi SLSA; Jammu and Kashmir SLSA; and Tamil Nadu SLSA also shared their experiences while working at SLSAs; the challenges faced while providing legal services, and the triumphs in advancing the cause of justice.

The event also witnessed the release of the Special Newsletter of NALSA, highlighting the organization's efforts and achievements in promoting access to justice. Booklets on the recent Schemes released by NALSA i.e. NALSA (Child-Friendly Legal Services for Children) Scheme, 2024 & NALSA (Legal Services to Persons with Mental Illness and Persons with Intellectual Disabilities) Scheme, 2024; and a Training Module on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 were also released.

The successful celebration of Legal Services Day, 2024 reinforces NALSA's commitment to ensuring that no citizen is denied opportunities for securing justice due to economic or other disabilities. As we move forward, NALSA will continue to strive towards creating a more inclusive and just society for all.

The program can be viewed on NALSA's YouTube channel. Link to the program is: https://www.youtube.com/live/tCV49sZJHfQ?feature=shared