Lok Sabha Question No. 4801 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-24
Subject: National Legal Service Day
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: C.N. Annadurai, Dhanush M Kumar, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Gautham Sigamani Pon

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

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## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4801 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 24 th  MARCH, 2021 National Legal Service Day

4801.  SHRI C.N. ANNADURAI:

SHRI DHANUSH M. KUMAR:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT:

SHRI GAUTHAM SIGAMANI PON:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government observed National Legal Service Day in the country recently;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along with the steps taken to achieve the aims and objectives of the event along with the details of programmes organized by the Government to mark this occasion;
- (c) the  norms  and  guidelines  of  the  legal  assistance  system  for  providing  free legal  aid  to  the  poor  and  weaker  sections of  the  society  and  steps  taken  to open new legal aid clinics especially in Tamil Nadu; and
- (d) whether the Government has assessed and evaluated the implementation of legal aid programme for the poor and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF LAW & JUSTICE, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) and (b) National Legal Services Day is observed every year on 9 th November to commemorate  the  commencement  of  Legal  Services  Authorities  Act,  1987 which came into force on 9 th November, 1995. On National Legal Services Day, legal awareness camps are held by State Legal Services Authorities across the country to apprise people about the availability of free legal aid. At the national level,  commendation  ceremony  is  generally  held  for  acknowledging  and

awarding exemplary work done in legal aid by Para Legal Volunteers/District Legal Services Authorities/Panel lawyers and State Legal Services Authorities. Due  to  ongoing  pandemic,  commendation  ceremony  could  not  be  held  this year.  However,  10516  legal  awareness  programmes  were  held  across  the country in November, 2020 which were attended by 6,29,826 citizens.

- (c) Persons covered under Section 12 (a) to (g) of the Legal Services Authorities Act  (LSA),  1987  are  eligible  to  get  free  legal  services  irrespective  of  income ceiling which include a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribes, a victim of trafficking in human beings or beggar, a woman or a child, a person with  disability,  a  person  under  circumstances  of  undeserved  want  such  as being a victim of a mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake  or  industrial  disaster  or  an  industrial  workman  or  in  custody.  For persons, not covered under Section 12 (a) to (g) of the LSA Act, the annual income limit for getting free legal aid is prescribed by the Central Government if the case is before the Supreme Court and by the State Government if the case is before the court other than the Supreme Court.

The National Legal Services Authority (Legal Services Clinics) Regulations,  2011  provide  for  establishment  of  legal  services  in  jails,  courts, Juvenile Justice Board (JJBs), community centres and other places, schools/colleges/universities, villages/rural areas or for a cluster of villages. As on  31.01.2021,  13540  Legal  Services  Clinics  are  functioning  in  the  country including 834 in Tamil Nadu.

- (d) Three Evaluation and Impact-assessment studies by third party agencies have been taken up covering the following aspects :-
- (i) Evaluation and impact assessment  of practice and procedure of empanelment,  capacity  building,  engagement  and  management  of Lawyers empanelled with Legal Services Authorities.
- (ii) Evaluation  of  legal  aid  provided  in  civil  and  criminal  matters  in  courts, tribunals, quasi-judicial body & jails.
- (iii) Evaluation & impact assessment of Para Legal Volunteers (PLVs).

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