The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 was enacted to constitute legal services authorities for providing free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society to ensure that opportunities for securing justice were not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities. The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to monitor and evaluate implementation of legal aid programmes and to lay down policies and principles for making legal services available under the Act.
SALIENT FEATURES- (i) to provide for the establishment of Permanent Lok Adalats which shall consist of a Chairman who is or has been a district judge or additional district judge or has held judicial office higher in rank than that of the district judge and two other persons having adequate experience in public utility services;
(ii) the Permanent Lok Adalat shall exercise jurisdiction in respect of one or more public utility services such as transport services of passengers or goods by air, road and water, postal, telegraph or telephone services, supply of power, light or water to the public by any establishment, public conservancy or sanitation, services in hospitals or dispensaries; and insurance services;
CONSTITUTION OF NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY- The Central Government shall, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, appoint a person to be the Member-Secretary of the Central Authority, possessing such experience and qualifications as may be prescribed by that Government, to exercise such powers and perform such duties under the Executive Chairman of the Central Authority as may be prescribed by that Government or as may be assigned to him by the Executive Chairman of that Authority.
CONSTITUTION OF STATE LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY- Every State Government shall constitute a body to be called the Legal Services Authority for the State to exercise the powers and perform the functions conferred on, or assigned to, a State Authority under this Act. A State Authority shall consist of the Chief Justice of the High Court who shall be the Patron-in-Chief a serving or retired Judge of the High Court, to be nominated by the Governor, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court, who shall be the Executive Chairman; and such number of other members
FUNCTIONS OF CENTRAL AUTHORITY- lay down policies and principles for making legal services available under the provisions of this Act frame the most effective and economical schemes for the purpose of making legal services available under the provisions of this Act; utilise the funds at its disposal and make appropriate allocations of funds to the State Authorities and District Authorities;
FUNCTIONS OF STATE LEGAL SERVICE AUTHORITY- the State Authority shall perform all or any of the following functions,
give legal service to persons who satisfy the criteria laid down under this Act conduct 1[Lok Adalats; including Lok Adalats for High Court cases] undertake preventive and strategic legal aid programmes and perform such other functions as the State Authority may, in consultation with the 2[Central Authority,] fix by regulations.
FUNCTIONS OF DISTRICT LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY- It shall be the duty of every District Authority to perform such of the functions of the State Authority in the District as may be delegated to it from time to time by the State Authority. (a) Co-ordinate the activities of the Taluk Legal Services Committee and other legal services in the District.
Aishwarya Says:
I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.
If you are interested in participating in the same, do let me know.
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We also have a Facebook Group Restarter Moms for Mothers or Women who would like to rejoin their careers post a career break or women who are enterpreneurs.
We are also running a series Inspirational Women from January 2021 to March 31,2021, featuring around 1000 stories about Indian Women, who changed the world. #choosetochallenge