Supreme Court Judge Justice Deepak Misra has asked the legal fraternity involved in providing legal help to the poor, the hopeless and helpless citizens and jailed inmates unaware about their legal rights and fate due to various reasons, to touch their hearts and echo-up legal assistance to them at the earliest.
After inauguration of legal Assistance Establishment (lAE) named Nyay Sahyog here under Jharkhand State legal Services Authority (JHAlSA) on Saturday, Misra said that the motto of this exercise of setting up lAEs across the country is to take legal services at the doorstep of those in need and unaware about how to get something which was their constitutional right.
“What I mean with echo-up is that the voice that law is there for all and every citizen enjoys constitutional rights to get it close to him/her must reach to them loud and clear,” said Misra.
Apart from Misra, who is also Executive Chairman of National legal Services Authority (NAlSA), Jharkhand High Court Acting Chief Justice and JHAlSA Executive Chairman DN Patel, Jharkhand High Court Judges Aparesh Kumar Singh, HC Mishra, who is also Jharkhand High Court legal Services Committee Chairman, Anant Bijay Singh and S Chandrashekhar, Jail IG Jatashanker Choudhary, other dignitaries of legal fraternity, panel lawyers in lAE, para-legal volunteers and others were also present at inauguration of lAE in Ranchi and three-day State level Training Programme for legal Services lawyers.
Justice Patel said that the purpose of lAE was to extend legal help to anyone in need, and literally anyone who was not aware about its constitutional legal rights. However, he warned panel lawyers that legal help to poor shouldn’t turn poor legal help.
“As Para-legal volunteers and penal lawyers, we will have to touch the heart of those completely deprived from legal assistance due to various reasons while dealing with cases,” said Misra, who added that apart from Delhi, lucknow, Ahmedabad and now Ranchi, other states will also be ready to set up lAEs by first week of July by when total number of Para-legal volunteers under NAlSA is also expected to reach up to 90,000 from 64,000 at present.
Formation of lAEs is a policy decision of NAlSA to set up legal Assistance Establishment in the premises or around all the State legal services authority. The set-up launched from Delhi has been extended to Ahmedabad and lucknow so far followed by Ranchi on Saturday. It is known as Nyay Sahyog in Delhi and Nyay Sampark in lucknow and Ahmedabad.
Misra said that Punjab and Haryana were ready for lAEs to be set up anytime. “Other states too will get ready by July this year. The set-up will comprise of two Panel lawyers, one Para legal assistant and two staff from administration. The lAE will keep master data of every case so that anyone can track movements of his/her case. Anyone can come there to take legal assistance,” added Misra.
Notably, thousands of prisoners in Indian jails have been staying behind the bars only due to non-availability of legal assistance, as there is no one to track their cases. This move of setting up lAEs is going to help them tremendously. The Para-legal volunteers will also roam door-to-door in rural areas to find out those in need of legal assistance.