Statistics do not present a very happy picture of the 15 free legal aid clinics in Palamau over the past three years. The aid entitles court and lawyers fees, which is waived for those with an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh.
According to Palamau District legal Services Authority secretary KK Jha, 2013-14 has seen only 24 applications, who were granted Rs 1.09 lakh. Some 42 applications came in 2012-13, entailing court fee of Rs 1.79 lakh. In 2011-12, 67 applications for free legal aid were waived Rs 3.72 lakh.
Jha was speaking at Kelhar panchayat legal awareness camp, under Paton block, on Sunday. The camp saw the presence of several legal eagles, including Principal District & Sessions Judge Vishnu Kant Sahay and district judges JP Singh and GK Dubey.
Two things were out of the ordinary at Kelhar - a modest of security umbrella in the Naxal-hit block and plenty of women too in the gathering. In fact, Sahay was greeted by mukhia Rambha Devi.
Much to the delight of the crowd, Sahay flayed Paton BDO B Soy for his lethargic approach and handling of applications sent to him by the Kelhar legal aid clinic. Soy had no answers.
Meanwhile, Jha detailed the launch of the Jharkhand Victim Compensation Scheme, 2012, under which compensation is provided even if the aggressor's/accused's identity is not know. Jha added that if the aggressor is too poor to pay compensation, the victim is entitled to the same from the Government.
Such awareness camps are increasingly becoming the prerogative of the judiciary, though the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police are major players in the legal services authority. Usually, the two faces are missing from the camps, while the BDO or other block officer shows scarce interest in proceedings.