Table of Contents
CURRENT AFFAIR
- Around 11,077 undertrials have been released from prisons nationwide – National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)
- Mission to decongest jails following the Covid-19 pandemic.
SC ORDER
- All States and Union Territories to set up high-level panels
- To consider releasing all convicts who have been jailed for upto seven years on parole
- To decongest jails in an attempt to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.
- Suggested that undertrials awaiting for offences entailing maximum sentence of seven years also be extended a similar benefit.
DETAILS
- NALSA has been providing assistance to prisoners who are eligible to be released on parole or interim bail under the relaxed norms, through its panel of lawyers.
- Local legal services authorities are actively assisting the high-level panels for identifying undertrials who could be released on bail during the present scenario.
- Till now, responses received from 232 districts reflect that around 11,077 undertrials and 5,981 convicts have been released.
National Legal Services Authority
- Statutory Body
- Constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987
- To provide free legal services to the weaker sections of the society and to organize Lok Adalats (an alternative dispute redressal mechanism) for amicable settlement of disputes.
- Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 prescribes the criteria for giving legal services to the eligible persons.
Constitutional Provisions
- Article 39A : Article 39A comes under the Part IV (DPSP) of Constitution of India
- Deals the “Equal Justice and Free Legal Aid”.
- Legal aid implies giving free legal service to the poor and ready who cannot afford the service of a lawyer for the concept of a case or a legal proceeding in any court.
- Articles 14 and 22(1) make it obligatory for the State to ensure equality before law and a legal system which promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity to all.
- Chairman: The Chief Justice of India is the Patron-in-Chief and the second senior most Judge of the Supreme Court of India is the Executive Chairman of the Authority.
- At State and District Level: State Legal Services Authority has been constituted to give effect to the policies and directions of the NALSA.
- In every District, the District Legal Services Authority has been constituted to implement legal services programmes in the district.
- Role played by NALSA and its networks is very much relevant to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal-16
- It seeks to “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.
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