Legal Aid is a very important part of the functions of the Legal Services. The legal-aid is provided through empanelment lawyers under the National Legal Services Authority (Free and Competent Legal Services) Regulation, 2010. It covers the following eight (8) categories of beneficiaries –
- A member of scheduled caste and schedule tribe
- A victim of human trafficking for begging as referred to in Article 23 of the Constitution
- A woman or a child
- A person with disability as defined in Clause(i) of Section 2 of the Person with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995
- A person under circumstances of underserved want, such as being a victim of a mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake or industrial disaster, or
- An industrial woman or
- In custody including custody in a protective home within the meaning of Clause(g) of Section 2 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 or in a psychiatric hospital or psychiatric nursing home within the meaning of Clause(g) of Section 2 of the Mental Health Act, 1987, or
- In receipt of annual income less than Rupees Three Lakhs (for the State of Assam) or such other higher amount as may be prescribed by the State Govt, if the case is before a court other than the Supreme Court and less than Rupees Three Lakhs or such other amount as may be prescribed by the Central Govt, if the case is before the High Court.
How to apply for Legal Aid?
A person in need of free legal services can approach the concerned authority or committee through an application which could either be made by sending in written form, or by filling up the forms prepared by the said authorities stating in brief the reason for seeking legal aid or can be made orally in which case an officer of the concerned legal services authority or a paralegal volunteer can assist the person.