India marks November 9th as National Legal Services Day to commemorate the Legal Services Authority Act of 1987, which came into effect in 1995. New Delhi hosts a variety of events and campaigns every year to mark the day and spread awareness about it. Both the state authorities as well as the general public take part in the events every year to make it successful.
History
It was started by the Supreme Court to provide support and help to the marginalised section of the society and provide free legal services to them so that justice can be served based on equal rights. It also aims to make people aware about their legal rights. The act also provides provisions for free legal aid counselling for those who otherwise cannot afford a legal representative. It also enables establishement of Lok Adalats to provide speedy and effective justice to the citizens. Hon’ble Dr Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, The Chief Justice of India is the Patron-in-Chief of the NALSA of India.
Theme 2023
The theme for this year is Access to Justice for All: Empowering the Marginalised through Legal Awareness. It means providing free legal counselling and awareness sessions to those who are not very well versed with the mechanics of it.
Free Legal Aid Authorities
According to the press release by the Ministry of Law and Justice, the following Authorities/Institutions are established to provide free legal aid to poor and weaker sections of the society :-
National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) at National level
Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC) at Supreme Court level
39 High Court Legal Services Committees (HCLSCs) at High Court level
37 State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) at State level
673 District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) at District level
2465 Taluk Legal Services Committees (TLSCs) at Taluk level
Government Support
The government extends support to all these authorities in the form of grant-in-aid and other logistical support to ensure a smooth discharge of the services.
The performance of the legal services authorities are also monitored. NALSA receives monthly activity reports from all the State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) highlighting all the activities carried out in a particular month. 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 of India.
