Lok Sabha Question No. 5653 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-27
Subject: National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Arun Govil

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5653

## TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 27 TH  MARCH, 2026

## NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY (NALSA)

## †5653. SHRI ARUN GOVIL:

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

- (a) whether the Government has constituted the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to provide  legal  support  to  women,  Scheduled  Castes,  Scheduled  Tribes,  disaster  victims, economically weaker sections/classes and poor so that no groups of people is deprived of access to justice due to paucity of funds;
- (b) if so, the total number of districts in the country wherein NALSA is operational;
- (c) the number of districts in the country where NALSA is not operational so far;
- (d) the time by which NALSA is likely to be made operational in the remaining districts;
- (e) the rate of per case remuneration given to the lawyers serving under this Authority; and
- (f) the number of people who have benefited from the National Legal Services Authority during the last five years in the Meerut Parliamentary Constituency?

## 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)  to  (d) :  The  Government  of  India  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 poor and marginalised sections of the society  including women, Scheduled Caste,  Scheduled  Tribe,  disaster  victims  and  economically  weaker  section,  eligible  under Section 12 of LSA 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 the basis of equal opportunities.

As per Section 6(1) of LSA Act, 1987, ' Every State Government shall constitute a body to be called the Legal Services Authority for the State to exercise the powers and perform the functions conferred on, or assigned to, a State Authority under this Act .'

As per Section 9(1) of LSA Act, 1987, ' The State Government shall, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court, constitute a body to be called the District Legal Services Authority for  every  District  in  the  State  to  exercise  the  powers  and  perform  the  functions conferred on, or assigned to, the District Authority under this Act .'

In  order  to  reach  out  to  the  citizens  in  every  corner  of  the  country,  the  legal  services authorities  have  been  setup  from  the  Taluk  level  up  to  the  Supreme  Court  level.  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),  715  District  Legal  Services  Authorities  (DLSAs)  and  2475 Taluk Legal Services Committees (TLSCs).

- (e): NALSA  has  framed  the  National  Legal  Services  Authority  (Free  and  Competent  Legal Services)  Regulations,  2010.  The  Regulation  14  of  the  National  Legal  Services  Authority (Free and Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010, which provides for the payment of fee to the panel lawyers are as follows:-
- '14.  Payment  of  fee  to  the  panel  lawyers.  (1)  Panel  lawyers  shall  be  paid  fee  in accordance with the Schedule of fee, as approved under the State regulations.
- (2) The State Legal Services Authority and other Legal Services Institution shall effect periodic revision of the honorarium to be paid to panel lawyers for the different types of services rendered by them in legal aid cases .'
- (f) :  Details  of  number of persons benefitted through free legal services under LSA Act in the State of Uttar Pradesh (including the district of Meerut) during the last five financial years are as follows: -

| Year                         | Persons benefited   |
|------------------------------|---------------------|
| 2021-22                      | 1,32,629            |
| 2022-23                      | 24,890              |
| 2023-24                      | 29,079              |
| 2024-25                      | 22,732              |
| 2025-26 (upto January, 2026) | 27,179              |

However, district and constituency wise data is not maintained by NALSA.

*****