Lok Sabha Question No. 2162 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-12
Subject: Legal Aid to Persons with Disabilities
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Ashish Dubey, Shri Tejasvi Surya

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 2162

TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY - 12/12/2025

## LEGAL AID TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

## 2162. Shri Tejasvi Surya:

Shri Ashish Dubey:

Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state:

- (a) the arrangements currently in place for providing legal aid and specialised legal services to persons with disabilities;
- (b) the scope and functioning of the Legal Services Units for Persons with Mental Illness and Intellectual Disabilities established across States and Union Territories;
- (c) the accessibility related requirements prescribed for judicial infrastructure under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes; and
- (d) the measures adopted under the e-Courts Project Phase III to make digital court platforms and websites more accessible to persons with disabilities?

## 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) and (b): The Government has undertaken several measures to make available affordable, quality and speedy legal services to the common man, including Persons with Disabilities. The legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 provides for free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society including Persons with Disabilities.

NALSA is also implementing a specific Scheme for Persons with Disabilities named NALSA (Legal Services to the Mentally Ill and Persons with Intellectual Disabilities) Scheme,

2024. This Scheme aims to ensure that legal services are responsive to the specific legal and social needs of persons with mental illness and persons with intellectual disabilities. Under this Scheme,  specialised  'Legal  Services  Unit  for  Persons  with  Mental  Illness  &  Persons  with Intellectual  Disabilities  called  'Manonyay'  (LSUM)'  units  have  been  established  in  all States/UTs except Ladakh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

(c) The  Government  is  implementing  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  for  development  of infrastructure facilities for the District and Subordinate Courts by augmenting the resources of the  State  Governments/UTs  for  construction  of  Court  Halls,  Residential  Units  for  Judicial Officers, Lawyers' Hall, Digital Computer Rooms and Toilet Complexes.  As per guidelines of the  Scheme,  the  States/UTs  ensures  that  the  proposed  infrastructure  have  disabled-friendly design. The building design are in conformity with the requisite norms/accessibility standards as laid down by Central Public Works Department, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, from time to time.

(d) Under eCourts Project Phase III, there are 24 components that have several significant measures  devised  to  foster  the  creation  of  a  robust  and  accessible  digital  infrastructure  for citizens including Persons with Disabilities. Provision has been made for providing enhanced accessible  ICT  enabled  facilities  to  Persons  with  Disabilities,  migration  of  websites  of  752 Courts (including High Courts) to S3WaaS platform (Secure, Scalable and Sugamya Website as a Service) that makes the website friendly for Persons with Disabilities. S3WaaS platform has  features  for  easy  visibility  of  content  for  partially  and  completely  visually  challenged citizens.

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