Access to Justice in India: The State of Legal Aid Services
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Legal Services Authorities Act 1987, National Legal Services Authority - NALSA, Article 39A, Fundamental Rights).
Mains:
GS Paper 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population and the performance of these schemes; Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections; Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary (Access to Justice).
Key Highlights from the News
The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, entitles 80% of India's population to free legal aid, but only a small fraction benefits.
In 2023-24, only 15.50 lakh people received legal aid.
The budget for legal aid is less than 1% of the total justice budget (police, prisons, judiciary).
While states are increasing their legal aid budgets, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) receives decreasing central funding in recent years.
The number of Para-legal volunteers has significantly reduced, and their wages are below the minimum wage in most states.
NALSA launched a new scheme in 2022 called Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) to provide quality legal aid to defendants.
The main challenges in this sector are lack of funding and human resources, poor quality of service, lack of accountability, and lack of trust.
COMMENTS