Lok Sabha Question No. 5607 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-04
Subject: Free Legal Aid Services
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Tejasvi Surya

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 5607

TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY - 04/04/2025

## FREE LEGAL AID SERVICES

## 5607. SHRI TEJASVI SURYA:

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

- (a) the measures being taken to strengthen the Legal Aid System in the country along with the functioning of District and State Legal Services Authorities;
- (b) the number of advocates empanelled or rendering services in the DSLAs and SLSAs across the country, State-wise;
- (c) the number of cases in which they are representing and have represented clients across the country, State-wise;
- (d) whether there is a plan to expand free legal aid services to remote and tribal areas, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the steps taken to ensure that marginalized communities are aware of and can access these services?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

- (a): Government has set up National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society as covered under Section 12 of the Act. For this purpose, the legal services institutions have been setup from the Taluk Court level to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC) functions at the Supreme Court whereas, there are 38 High Court Legal Services Committees (HCLSCs), 37 State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs), 708 District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) and 2439 Taluk Legal Services Committees (TLSCs). The Government extends the Grants-in-

Aid support towards the functioning of the legal services authorities/institutions. In order to monitor the performance of the legal services authorities, NALSA receives monthly activity reports from all the SLSAs highlighting all the activities carried out in a particular month. Thereafter, a final activity report on monthly basis is sent by NALSA to the Government. Apart from monthly activity reports, NALSA also receives Annual Reports from all the SLSAs and prepares its own Annual Report, which is laid before both Houses of the Parliament. Further, All India and Regional Meets are also organized by NALSA to monitor the performance of Legal Services Authorities. The Government of India is also implementing a Central Sector Scheme namely; Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) Scheme through NALSA. Under LADCS Scheme, legal aid is provided with regard to criminal cases only to the beneficiaries eligible for legal aid under Section 12 of the LSA Act, 1987. The objective of LADCS Scheme is to strengthen criminal court based legal services, and provide legal services to the beneficiaries in all criminal matters, at trial and appellate stages. As on 31 st December 2024, LADC offices are functional in 654 districts across the country and has engaged 5251 staff including 3448 Defense Counsels. During the year 2024-25 (upto December, 2024), LADCS offices dealt more than 3.95 lakh criminal cases.

- (b) and (c): The State-wise details of Panel Advocates empanelled or rendering services in various SLSAs and DSLAs across the country and cases in which they are representing and have represented clients across the country during April, 2024 to December, 2024, are at Annexure-A .
- (d) and (e): Section 12 of the LSA Act, 1987 provides for free legal services to the entitled persons across the country including remote and tribal areas. Legal awareness programmes are held across the country by Legal Service Authorities on various laws/schemes relating to children, labourers, victims of disaster, SC and ST, persons suffering from disability, etc. Legal Services Authorities also prepare booklets and pamphlets in simple language on various laws and are distributed amongst the people. 12,49,496 and 1,26,966 legal awareness camps and programs organized by Legal Service Authorities during the year 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 (upto December 2024) which were attended by around 13.93 crore and 3.06 crore persons respectively.

*****

Statement referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5607 for answering on 04.04.2025 - Free Legal Aid Services

Statement containing the number of Panel Advocates empanelled or rendering services in various SLSAs and DSLAs across the country and cases in which they are representing and have represented clients across the country during April, 2024 to December, 2024

|   S.No . | Name of the State/UT Authority   | Panel Advocates   | Client/Cases represented   |
|----------|----------------------------------|-------------------|----------------------------|
|        1 | Andman and Nicobar Islands       | 36                | 159                        |
|        2 | Andhra Pradesh                   | 1,352             | 3,050                      |
|        3 | Arunachal Pradesh                | 157               | 2,353                      |
|        4 | Assam                            | 601               | 14,874                     |
|        5 | Bihar                            | 1,940             | 7,075                      |
|        6 | Chandigarh                       | 426               | 1,370                      |
|        7 | Chhattisgarh                     | 2,689             | 6,159                      |
|        8 | Dadra &Nagar Haveli              | 6                 | 32                         |
|        8 | Daman &Diu                       | 21                | 53                         |
|        9 | Delhi                            | 1,617             | 35,031                     |
|       10 | Goa                              | 241               | 978                        |
|       11 | Gujarat                          | 2,868             | 15,755                     |
|       12 | Haryana                          | 1,019             | 13,975                     |
|       13 | Himachal Pradesh                 | 415               | 4,166                      |
|       14 | Jammu &Kashmir                   | 578               | 2,615                      |
|       15 | Jharkhand                        | 1,025             | 8,444                      |
|       16 | Karnataka                        | 2,827             | 5,233                      |
|       17 | Kerala                           | 2,043             | 12,527                     |
|       18 | Ladakh                           | 13                | 86                         |
|       19 | Lakshadweep                      | 0                 | 1                          |
|       20 | Madhya Pradesh                   | 2,254             | 15,627                     |
|       21 | Maharashtra                      | 4,395             | 21,609                     |
|       22 | Manipur                          | 226               | 311                        |
|       23 | Meghalaya                        | 152               | 1,740                      |
|       24 | Mizoram                          | 63                | 1,813                      |
|       25 | Nagaland                         | 77                | 532                        |
|       26 | Odisha                           | 2,228             | 2,088                      |
|       27 | Puducherry                       | 352               | 469                        |
|       28 | Punjab                           | 689               | 23,330                     |
|       29 | Rajasthan                        | 1,622             | 10,508                     |

| 30   | Sikkim        | 153    | 693     |
|------|---------------|--------|---------|
| 31   | Tamil Nadu    | 4,406  | 13,240  |
| 32   | Telangana     | 1,891  | 3,353   |
| 33   | Tripura       | 336    | 1,141   |
| 34   | Uttar Pradesh | 2,476  | 2,448   |
| 35   | Uttarakhand   | 309    | 4,240   |
| 36   | West Bengal   | 3,189  | 15,387  |
|      | Total         | 44,692 | 252,465 |