New Delhi, Dec 4 As part of 'Nyaya Bandhu' (Pro Bono Legal Services) programme, panels have been made functional at 23 High Courts to link persons eligible to avail free legal aid with volunteer lawyers, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, in reply to a question, said, "As on November 30, 9,776 Pro Bono Advocates have registered on Nyaya Bandhu Portal."
"In order to bolster the culture of Pro Bono among young legal minds, Pro Bono Club sub-scheme has been operationalised across 109 law schools in the country," he said.
The Government launched the Nyaya Bandhu programme in 2017, intending to advance the culture of voluntary service by legal professionals and create a framework for the dispensation of offering pro bono legal services across the country, he said.
It links the persons eligible to avail free legal aid under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987, with the pro bono lawyers. The programme was integrated into a citizen-centric scheme named Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India (DISHA) for the period of five years (2021-2026), he said.
One of the key objectives under the Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) programme is to register advocates who voluntarily offer their time and services for case registration and assistance in the court, said Meghwal.
In addition, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been established under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987, to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of society, including beneficiaries covered under Section 12 of the LSA Act, said the MoS.
He said that for this purpose, the Legal Services Institutions have been set up from the Taluk Court level to the Supreme Court. However, NALSA and Legal Services Institutions are not involved in those cases where Pro bono services are rendered by advocates on their own.
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