Free legal aid: Reducing the burden of costly justice

It is a common saying that no guilty can escape the long arm of the law. But in reality, the long arm of the law takes a considerable period to encircle the throats of offenders to throw them behind the bars. Moreover, justice eludes the poor and underprivileged, or those from the weaker sections of the society, as they are unable to bear the cost of prolonged litigation. This is where legal aid comes into play where advocates offer their services pro bono.

Service to society:

Eligible beneficiaries can avail of free legal aid under Section 12 of Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. As on March 1,2023, 2,180 people have benefited from Pro Bono Legal Services, while 5,954 advocates have registered for the scheme across the country. Pro Bono Panel of advocates has been initiated in 21 High Courts, while Pro Bono Clubs have been started in 69 select law schools to instill the culture of providing free legal aid in budding lawyers.

While five law schools each in Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra have started Pro Bono Clubs, in Uttar Pradesh seven legal schools have come forward to join the endeavour. In Delhi, 401 litigants have benefited from pro bono work, 117 in Haryana, 379 in Maharashtra, 106 in Odisha, 281 in Uttar Pradesh and 213 in West Bengal.

The State Bar Councils have been entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the list of advocates offering pro bono work. In Andhra Pradesh, 539 advocates have registered themselves for offering legal aid free of charge, while the number of such lawyers in Bihar is 426. In Delhi, 751 advocates offer their services pro bono, Jharkhand 150, Madhya Pradesh 517, Maharashtra & Goa 462, Odisha 225, Punjab & Haryana 619, Rajasthan 194, Tamil Nadu 264 and Uttar Pradesh 557.

Digital world to the rescue:

In 2017, the Indian Government launched the Tele-Law programme for providing an effective and reliable e-interface platform to the needy and disadvantaged sections seeking legal advice. Through this programme, the underprivileged can consult empanelled lawyers via video conferencing, telephone and chat facilities available at the Common Service Centres (CSCs) situated in Gram Panchayats and through the Tele-Law mobile app.

A technological framework has also been put in place where advocates volunteering to provide their services for pro bono work can register on the Nyaya Bandhu app, which is available on both Android and iOS platforms. Nyaya Bandhu Services are also available on the UMANG platform.