36 awarded at Haryana state services legal body commendation ceremony

Chandigarh, November 9

The Haryana State Legal Services Authority (HALSA), Panchkula, orchestrated a state-level commendation ceremony, honouring the best district legal services authorities, panel advocates, mediators and para legal volunteers (PLVs).

November 9 is observed as ‘National Legal Services Day’ to mark the establishment of Legal Services Authorities on this day, in 1995. The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, aligns with Article 39A of the Constitution of India, aiming at providing free and competent legal services to various categories of individuals.

Chief Guest Justice Ritu Bahri, Acting Chief Justice, High Court of Punjab and Haryana, Patron-in-Chief of HALSA, inaugurated the Victim Compensation Portal and Instructions Manual-2023, prepared by HALSA, in the presence of Justice Arun Palli and Justice Jasjit Singh Bedi.

Dignitaries, including Baldev Raj Mahajan, Advocate-General, Haryana, Yash Garg, Special Secretary, Information & Technology Department, Haryana, and Sushil Sarwan, Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, joined the event.

The Victim Compensation Portal, designed for online applications, aims at streamlining the compensation process for eligible victims of crime across Haryana. The Instructions Manual-2023, crafted for the District Legal Services Authorities, serves as a comprehensive guide to the organisation’s processes, procedures, and expectations, facilitating smooth functioning. At the commendation ceremony, HALSA awarded 36 persons across categories. The District Legal Services Authorities of Hisar and Kaithal were recognised as the best in Haryana under different categories. Individual awards were presented to nominated panel advocates, with Sonu Kumar, Jaineer Kajla and Rajbir Kashyap earning accolades for their contributions in civil, criminal and outreach activities, respectively. Mahi Malik received recognition as the Best Pro-Bono Advocate and Ravinder Gupta was adjudged the Best Mediator in Haryana. The event acknowledged the efforts of Jogender Kaur, Sandeep, Apurva Bhalla, and Fateh Singh, who were honoured as Best PLVs for their noteworthy contributions.