National Legal Services Day commemorated

Tribune reporters

Hoshiarpur, November 9

On the occasion of National Legal Services Day, under the leadership of CJM-cum-Secretary District Legal Services Authority Aparajita Joshi, a special function was organised at Panjab University Swami Sarvanand Giri Regional Centre’s Law College under the guidelines of District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman DLSA, Hoshiarpur, Dilbagh Singh Johal. Speaking on the occasion, Joshi said that the objective of National Legal Services Day, was to ensure access to justice for all by creating awareness about the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

She said that under this Act, the authority has created 8 categories to provide free legal services at the district-level and sub-division level which include poor people, such as women, undertrials, SC/ST, victims of forced labour, flood/earthquake victims, children below 18 years of age, disabled and every person whose annual income was less than Rs 3 lakh. She gave detailed information to the students about the schemes of NALSA.

CJM Joshi said that the cases are settled by compromise through lok adalats, mediation and conciliation centre on behalf of the authority and permanent lok adalat. She said that for the cases which are not pending in the court, like telephone, electricity, water, bank cases, insurance company cases etc., the applicant can directly file a free application in the lok adalat.

Also, Central Jail, Hoshiarpur, was visited by CJM Aparajita Joshi.

Seminat at Central jail

Kapurthala: The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Kapurthala, observed National Legal Services Day at the Central Jail and Government Senior Secondary School, Kapurthala, on Thursday.

A seminar was organised to provide a detailed information to jail inmates about free legal aid/advice, remand advocate scheme, plea bargaining scheme and to file appeal against conviction in higher courts.

District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman DLSA and CJM-cum-Secretary Kapurthala Amrender Singh Grewal apprised that this day is observed to mark the adoption of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. He said at present Justice GS Sandhawalia is its executive chairman. He said that the DLSA has been functioning in every district under the chairmanship of District Judge and Sub-Divisional Legal Services Committees are working under Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division).

District Judge Grewal also distributed certificates to hundreds of jail inmates who are trained through different self-employment training programmes being provided by different NGOs.

In a different seminar, advocate Pawan Kalia also provided a valuable information about the relevance of National Legal Services Day and different schemes being provided by NLSA to the hundreds of girls at Government Girls Ssenior Secondary School, Kapurthala.