Lok Sabha Question No. 1653 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-16
Subject: Evaluation of Legal Aid Programmes
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LAW & JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1653 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 16 th DECEMBER, 2022

## EVALUATION OF LEGAL AID PROGRAMMES

## 1653. SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM:

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

- (a) whether the Government  has  undertaken  any  study-evaluation of legal aid programmes, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of monitoring and evaluation done by National Legal Services Authority (NALSA);
- (c) whether the Government has taken steps to improve access for justice to everyone and if so, the details of programmes undertaken therefor;
- (d)  whether  Government  is  replicating  the  initiatives  like  legal  aid  kiosks,  para-legal volunteers etc. to other parts of India; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a)& (b): National  Legal  Services  Authority  (NALSA),  established  by  Government under Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, has undertakenthrough third party agencies three  Evaluation  and  Impact  Assessment  Studies  for  evaluation  of  legal  aid  programmes which include :-

- (i) Evaluation and Impact Assessment of Practice and Procedure of Empanelment,  Capacity  Building,  Engagement  and  Management  of  lawyer 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).

NALSA has takenseveral steps to provide speedy and cost effective justice through free legal aid services. They include :-

- (i) NALSA has created a web portal to file Applications through online for getting legal assistance.  The applicant may file the applications either directly to State Legal  Services  Authority/District  Legal  Services  Authority/High  Court  Legal Services Committee/Supreme Court Legal Services Committee from where the applicant  requires  legal  assistance.    The  applicant  has  the  option  to  file application  directly  to  NALSA  and  in  that  case  the  said  application  is transferred to the concerned Legal Services Institutions for appropriate action i.e.  to  provide  legal  assistance.    Thereafter,  the  concerned  Legal  Services Institution  has  to  update  the  action  taken  report.  The  online  web  portal  for filing legal aid applications has also been made more inclusive and a legal aid application can now be filed in Ten (10) languages i.e. English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia and Kannada.
- (ii) NALSA has also launched Legal Services Mobile App for Android and IOS version on 8th August, 2021 and on 09 th November, 2021 respectively which will facilitate following functions:-
- a) Any citizen may apply for seeking legal assistance, legal advice and for redressal of other grievances through Mobile App.
- b) Any citizen may track his application submitted for legal aid & advice and other grievances.
- c) Reminder can be sent and clarifications can be sought through Mobile App.
- d) Any  victim  of  crime  or  applicant  can  apply  for  victim  compensation through the Mobile App.
- e) Application  for  pre-institution  mediation  in  commercial  matters  or application for mediation may be filed through this Mobile App.

Besides  above,  Frequently  Asked  Questions  (FAQs),  Helpline    assistance  and assistance through e-mail are also provided in the Mobile App.    In addition, asix week long  Pan  India  Legal  Awareness  and  outreach  campaign  was  carried  out  from  02nd October to 14th November, 2021 as a part of AzadiKaAmritMahotsav to reach each and every  village/Urban  area  of  the  country  in  order  to  maximize  the  outreach  of  Legal Services Authorities as well as to spread awareness regarding the availability of free legal services.  During the campaign, various activities were carried out by the Legal Services Authorities at every level of the society, witnessing huge response from the general public.

The said Pan India Legal Awareness and Outreach Campaign was planned with the intent to enhance the outreach of Legal Services Authorities to all 6.7 Lakh villages and 4100 municipal town across the country so that a visible imprint of the activities of legal services  authorities  can  be  made  in  these  villages  and  municipal  towns.  In  this  regard, various activities were planned and carried out, out of which the major activities included Door-to-Door Campaigns, Legal Awareness Programs, Awareness through Mobile Vans, and  Awareness through Legal Aid Clinics. Apart  from  these major  activities,  the  Legal Services Authorities organised specific legal awareness programs for women and children, organised  Mega  Legal  Services  Camps,  Programs  for  Children  who  lost  either  or  both parents due to covid, Exhibitions at State and District level, Moot Court Competitions for students of law universities, etc.

(c): Department of Justice, Government of India launched a new Scheme on Access to Justice namely 'Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice' (DISHA) for the FY 2021-2026 wherein various initiatives have been introduced and consolidated to provide citizen- centric delivery of legal services. Under DISHA, the Tele-Law: Reaching the  Unreached  and  Nyaya  Bandhu  (Pro  Bono  legal  services)  programmes  are  being implemented  to provide pre-litigation legal advice and legal assistance in courts respectively.  The  Tele-Law Service connects the citizen with the Panel lawyers through the  use  of  video  /Tele  conferencing  facilities  available  at  the  Common  Service  Centres (CSCs)  and  through  Tele-Law  Mobile  App.  This  service  is  currently  operational  in 1,000,00 Gram Panchayats across 755 Districts (including 112 Aspirational districts) in 36 States /UTs. As on 30 th November, 2022 advice has been enabled to 28 lakh beneficiaries. The  Nyaya  Bandhu  (Pro  Bono  Legal  Services)  programme  aims  to  provide  free  legal assistance and counsel to the marginalized sections. Nyaya Bandhu Mobile Application, for  android  and  iOS  phones,  has  been  developed  to  connect  the  registered  Pro  Bono Advocates  with  the  registered  applicants.  As  on  30 th November,  2022,  5202  Advocates have registered under the programme. As on 30 th November, 2022, 69 Law schools across the  country  have  constituted  'Pro  Bono  Clubs'  under  Nyaya  Bandhu  (Pro  Bono) programme to instil a culture towards pro bono lawyering among the law students.

(d) & (e ): Through Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, Legal Services Institutions have been setup at all levels from the  level of Taluk Courts to the Supreme Court to provide free legal services to the persons eligible under Section 12 of  saidAct, 1987.  The following Authorities/ Institutions are established nation-wide to provide free legal  aid  to  poor  and  weaker  sections  of  the  society  and  to  conduct  Lok  Adalats  for amicable settlement of disputes pending in courts as well as at pre-litigation stage:-

| i.   | National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)-       | At National level      |
|------|--------------------------------------------------|------------------------|
| ii.  | Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC) - | At Supreme Court level |
| iii. | State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) -       | At State level         |
| iv.  | High Court Legal Services Committees (HCLSCs) -  | At High Court level    |
| v.   | District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs)-     | At District level      |
| vi.  | Taluk Legal Services Committees (TLSCs)-         | At Taluk level         |

The number of Legal Services Institutions at Taluk level to Supreme Court level are as under:-

|   National Legal Services Authority |   State Legal Services Authorities |   District Legal Services Authorities |   Taluk Legal Services Committees |   Supreme Court Legal Services Committee |   High Court Legal Services Committees |
|-------------------------------------|------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
|                                   1 |                                 37 |                                   676 |                              2361 |                                        1 |                                     39 |

Apart from this legal services clinics have also been set up at college/universities, villages,  community  centres,  courts,  jails,  and  juvenile  justice  boards  etc.  for  providing free legal aid and advice. These clinics are manned by the Panel Lawyers and Para Legal Volunteers.  As  on  30.09.2022,  about  12,158  number  of  Legal  Services  Clinics  were functioning in the country.  In these clinics, around 4.81 lacs persons were provided legal assistance  during  the  current  financial  year  2022-23  (upto  September,  2022).  The statistical data of the above mentioned legal services clinics is as under:-

|                                          |   Colleges / Universi ties |   Villages |   Community Centres |   Courts |   Jails |   JJBs |   For the people of North- East |   Others |   Total |
|------------------------------------------|----------------------------|------------|---------------------|----------|---------|--------|---------------------------------|----------|---------|
| No. of Legal Services Clinics            |                       1018 |       4391 |                 833 |      947 |    1126 |    428 |                              71 |     3344 |   12158 |
| No. of persons visited                   |                      21611 |     186697 |               58424 |    68761 |  152983 |  21593 |                            1292 |   198630 |  709991 |
| No. of persons provided legal assistance |                      16718 |     135002 |               41081 |    56709 |  118682 |  14912 |                             721 |    97591 |  481416 |