The Government has undertaken several measures to make available affordable, quality and speedy justice to the common man. The Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 provides free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society including beneficiaries covered under Section 12 of the Act to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize Lok Adalats to secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunities. The Government has not received any representation in this regard.

For this purpose, the legal services institutions have been set up from the Taluk Court levels to the Supreme Court. During the period from April, 2021 to November, 2021, 60.17 lakhs persons have been provided with free legal services and 132.37 lakhs cases (pending in courts and disputes at pre-litigation stage) have been settled through Lok Adalats. Legal Aid Clinics have also been set up in jails, observation homes, juvenile justice boards which are manned by panel lawyers and para legal volunteers of legal services authorities. Further, to enable equitable access to justice, National Legal Services Authorities (NALSA) has also launched Legal Services Mobile App on Android and iOS Version to enable easy access to legal aid to common citizens.

The Government has launched two important legal empowerment initiatives which includes Nyaya Bandhu (Pro-bono Legal Services) programme to link the persons eligible to avail free legal aid under Section 12 of LSA Act, 1987 with the pro-bono lawyers. 3840 pro bono advocates have been registered under the programme and 1440 cases have been registered by the beneficiaries. The other initiative is the Tele-law: Reaching the Unreached, being run by the Government which provides legal advice to public including persons entitled for free legal aid under Section 12 of LSA Act, 1987, at pre-litigation stage by the Panel Lawyers through the Common Service Centers (CSCs) at the Panchayats. Tele-law has served more than 13.7 lakh beneficiaries till date.

This information was given by Shri Kiren Rijiju Union Minister of Law and Justice, in Rajya Sabha today.

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HRK

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