District Legal Services Authority

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District Legal Services Authority

DISTRICT LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY
Nyaya Seva Sadan, District Court Complex
Sangareddy – 502 001,District Medak
Ph.No.08455 271401,

OBJECTS & REASONS
The State Article 39-A of our Constitution enjoins the State to provide free legal aid to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen on account of poverty or other disabilities.

The enactment of Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 is one of the steps for establishing a society in which social, economic and legal justice is available to all on equal footing. Legal Service has broadly three aspects:

  1.          i.           extending legal aid to persons who are living below the poverty line, to women, children, members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and other persons enumerated in the Section 12 of the Act;
  2.        ii.           holding of Lok Adalats to resolve disputes in respect of cases pending before the courts or any matter at prelitigation state;
  3.      iii.           organizing legal literacy and awareness camps as well as legal aid programmes with a view to educate the poor, backward and weaker sections of our society about their legal rights guaranteed to them under various

Contact us

Hon’ble Chairman,

Prl. District & Sessions Judge/Chairman,

District Legal Services Authority,

Medak at Sangareddy.

Hon’ble Secretary,

District Legal Services Authority,

Nyaya Seva Sadan,

District Court Buildings,

MEDAK AT SANGAREDDY.

LIST OF MANDAL COMMITTEES
1.The Chairman,

VI Addl. District & Sessions Judge,

Mandal Legal Services Committee,

Court Compound,

Siddipet,

Medak District.

2. The Chairman,

Mandal Legal Services Committee,

Court Compound,

Gajwel,

Medak District.

3.The Chairman,

Mandal Legal Services Committee,

Court Compound,

Narsapur,

Medak District.

4.The Chairman,

Mandal Legal Services Committee,

Court Compound,

Jogipet,

Medak District.

5.The Chairman,

Mandal Legal Services Committee,

Court Compound,

Narayankhed,

Medak District.

6. The Chairman,

Mandal Legal Services Committee,

Court Compound,

Medak,

Medak District.

7.The Chairman,

Mandal Legal Services Committee,

Court Compound,

Zaheerabad,

Medak District.

MEDIATION CENTRE IN THE DISTRICT
The Secretary cum Coordinator,

Mediation Centre,

District Legal Services Authority,

Nyaya Seva Sadan,

District Court Buildings,

MEDAK AT SANGAREDDY.

  HISTORY

In India, after submission of Rushcliffe Committee recommendation to the British parliament, suggestions were made by the Bombay Legal Aid Society in 1945 that a committee be set up in India to examine the question of legal aid to the poor. In 1949 ,under the Chairmanship of late Justice N.H.Bhagvati,the then a judge of the Bombay high court,” The committee on legal aid and legal advice in Bombay.” was set up to consider the question of grant of legal aid to person of limited means or of backward classes in civil and criminal litigations. This committee made a detailed report in October, 1949 and suggested therein that legal aid was governmental responsibility. The same year, the government of west Bengal set up a Committee under the Chairmanship of Sir Arthur Trevol Harries, then the Chief Justice of Calcutta high court, to examine this question and the said committee strongly emphasized the need for rendering legal aid to the poor litigants.

The Law Commission of India in its 14th report. on ‘reform of Judicial Administration’ published in 1958, strongly advocated the need for rendering legal aid to poor litigants and categorically stated that’ the rendering of legal aid to the poor litigants is not a minor problem of procedural law but a question of fundamental character’.

The committee under the Chairmanship of Hon’ble Mr Justice V.R.Krishna Iyer, then a Member of the Law Commission, constituted by the Government of India Order dated 27th October, 1972 to consider the question of making available to the weaker sections of the community and persons of limited means in general and citizens belonging to the socially and educationally backward class in particular, facilities for

  1. legal advice so as to make them aware of their constitutional and legal rights and obligations;
  2. legal aid in proceedings before Civil, Criminal and Revenue Courts so as to make justice more easily available to all sections of the community.

With a view to implement the report of the Bhagwati Committee and in fulfillment of its constitutional obligations under Article 39-A, a committee known as the aCommittee for Implementing Legal Aid Schemes (CILAS) was being constituted by the Government of India at the very beginning under the Chairmanship of Honuble Mr. Justice P.N.Bhagwati. This Committee formulated a broad pattern of the legal aid programme to be set up in the country. It gave stress on preventive legal aid programme with a view to creating legal awareness amongst the people. It also suggested dynamic and activist programmes to carry legal services to the doorsteps of the rural population, to promote community mobilization and rights enforcement through public interest litigations and other statutes. The Committee also framed a model scheme for establishment of State Legal Aid and Advice Boards, as also, Committees at the High Court, District and Tahasil levels to cater legal services to the people at large.

In the year 1987 the Legal Services Authorities Act was promulgated by the parliament with a view to provide free and competent legal services and to ensure opportunity for securing justice to the downtrodden class of the society.

After enactment of the Legal Services Authorities Act, many States have enacted legislation or adopted Schemes for organizing Legal Aid in civil and criminal proceedings. The Central Legal Services Authority, funded by the Union Government comprising of members of all States provided adequate financial aid for the said purpose. The State Legal Services Authority funded by the State Government and functioning under a Judge of the respective High Court, nominated by the Chief Justice. District and Taluq Committees have also been set up to organize legal aid through appropriate Committees and panels.

LEGAL AID TO THE POOR

Pursuant to the Article 39 A of the Constitution, free and competent Legal Services are being provided in the State to the eligible persons of the poor downtrodden and weaker sections of the Society.The provision of Legal Services is to secure that the operation of the Legal System promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity, to provide free legal aid to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities. Accordingly the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 (Act No.39 of 1987) came into force on 09-09-1995. As per Sec. 12 of the said Act, the following categories of persons are entitled for free and competent legal services from the legal services institutions.

  1. a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe;
  2. a victim of trafficking in human being or beggar as referred to in Article 23 of the Constitution;
  3. a woman or a child;
  4. a person with disability as defined in clause (i) of Section 2 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
  5. a person under circumstances of undeserved want such as being a victim of a mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake or industrial disaster; or
  6. an industrial workman; or
  7. in custody, including custody in a protective home within the meaning of Clause(g) of Section 2 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956(104 of 1956) or in a juvenile home within the meaning of Clause(j) of Section 2 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 (53 of 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 (14 of 1987); or

The persons whose annual income does not exceed Rs. 1,00,000/- are also

entitled for legal services if they does not come under any of the above categories.

The persons entitled for Legal Services can avail the legal Services in the following modes of Regulation 25 of A.P. State Legal Services Authority Regulations 1996:-

legal advice by a legal practitioner on the list of legal practitioners maintained by the Taluk Committee, the District Authority and the High Court Committee, or of any voluntary organization sponsored and encouraged by the State Authority.

  1. Legal Services in the form of—-

I       representation of an entitled person by a legal practitioner on the list in the legal                               proceedings;

  1.                          ii.            payment to the entitled person or on his behalf-
  2.                         b.            of Court fee;
  3.                         b.            of process fee and expenses of witnesses;
  4.                          c.            of charges for preparation of paper books, including charges for Printing and translation of documents;
  5.                         d.            of charges for the supply of certified copies of judgment, decrees, orders and other documents;
  6.                         e.            of any amount on any other account in any legal proceedings.

The entitled persons can avail legal services to file cases on their behalf or to defend themselves before themselves in the cases filed against them before any Court. The person seeking legal aid can apply for legal services in the following proforma to any of the legal services institutions where they need legal service.


The eligible persons can avail legal services in the cases right from the Magistrate Court to the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. They can apply with all the relevant documents to the concerned legal services institutions.

LEGAL AID IN MAGISTRATE COURTS TO THE PRISONERS

The Scheme for providing Competent Legal Services to the prisoners has been introduced under which legal aid counsel are appointed to various Magistrate Courts in the State for rendering legal services to the prisoners so as to defend their cases before concerned Magistrate Courts. Under the Scheme, the prisoners will be provided legal assistance for filing bail applications and to defend their cases, drafting applications for legal services etc. The legal aid counsel so appointed will render all necessary legal assistance to the prisoners and guide them in defending their cases before the Courts. The services of legal aid counsel are available to the prisoners at free of cost. The names of legal aid counsel being appointed to various Magistrate Courts in the State are given below:

NAME OF THE DISTRICT: MEDAK At: Sanga Reddy

LOK ADALAT MECHANISM:-

Lok Adalat is one of the modes of Alternative Dispute Resolution. The Lok Adalat is popularized throughout the State for the past several years. The public, Advocates and all the concerned are coming forward with enthusiasm to avail the Lok Adalat Mechanism for settlement of their cases. The Lok Adalat Mechanism is available throughout the State through the Legal Services Authorities / Committees for amicable settlement of cases.

Lok Adalat Benches consisting of Judicial Officers, Advocates and social workers deal with cases referred to them and help the parties in arriving at a settlement. The Lok Adalats shall have jurisdiction to determine and to arrive at a compromise or settlement between the parties to a dispute in respect of any case pending before any Court or any matter which is falling within the jurisdiction of any Court and is not brought before such Court that is pre-litigation. That means the lok Adalats can deal with the cases pending before any Court and referred to the Lok Adalat. Lok Adalats can also deal with the disputes at pre-litigation stage. In respect of cases pending before Courts, such cases can be referred to Lok Adalat if the parties thereof agree or one of the parties thereof makes an application to the Court or the Court is satisfied that the matter is an appropriate one to be taken cognizance of by the Lok Adalat. The Lok Adalats can deal with all Civil Cases, Matrimonial Disputes, Land Disputes, Partition/Property Disputes, Labour Disputes etc., and non-compoundable criminal Cases.

The Award of the Lok Adalat shall be deemed to be a decree of Civil Court or as the case may be an order of any other Court. Every Award made by a Lok Adalat shall be final and binding on all the parties to the dispute. No Appeal shall lie to any Court against the Award of the Lok Adalat. The significant feature of the Lok Adalat is that the legal experts holding Lok Adalat Bench, guide the parties in arriving at a compromise or settlement in friendly and harmonious atmosphere.

The Plaintiff/Petitioner is entitled to get refund of Court Fee that has been paid by him at the time of filing a Suit before a Court and that suit has been settled before the Lok Adalat. The parties who wish to avail the Lok Adalat Mechanism can simply approach the Court concerned or any of the Legal Services Institution. No fee is required to be paid by the parties to settle their cases before Lok Adalat.

MEDIATION CENTRES:-

Mediation is one of the Alternative Dispute Resolution methods. Under the provisions of Sec.89 Civil Procedure Code, the Parties can settle their cases arriving at compromise with the aid of Mediators. The Role of Mediators is to guide and assist the parties to explore the possibilities of settlement and to know about the pros and cons of the litigation / settlement. The mediators neither settle the dispute nor pass the award, but they guide the parties thereby the parties may arrive at terms of settlement on their own. Thus Mediation Centre have been established in THE District.  The Mediation Centre  is  functioning in the Nyaya Seva Sadan Building   of  District Legal Services Authority at the District Head Quarter.  The District Judge cum Chairman of District Legal Services Authority is the Director and  Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority is the Coordinator of the respective Mediation Centre. The persons selected from various walks of life are being imparted training on Mediation and they are acting as Mediators of the respective Mediation Centre.  The services of the Coordinators or Mediators as the case may be are available and the public can avail the services of Mediation Centres for settlement of their disputes.

The coordinators and Mediators are being imparted training on Mediation under the aegis of Mediation & Conciliation Project Committee, Supreme Court of India. The services of Mediation Centres are free of cost and the parties may contact the Coordinators of the concerned Mediation Centres for availing its service.

Hon’ble Chairman,Addressing the gather on Legal services Day

Hon’ble Secretary, Addressing in Legal Awareness Camp on Childrens day on Children rights.

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