Legal Support Services available:

The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been constituted to provide free Legal Services to the weaker sections of the society and in every State, State Legal Services Authority has been constituted to give free legal services to the people. Similarly, in every District, District Legal Services Authority has been constituted to implement Legal Services Programmes in the District. The District Legal Services Authority is situated in the District Courts Complex in every District and chaired by the District Judge of the respective district.

Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 prescribes the criteria for giving legal services to the eligible persons and reads as under:-

“12.Every person who has to file or defend a case shall be entitled to legal services under this Act if that person is –

(a) a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe;

(b) a survivor of trafficking in human beings or beggar as referred to in Article 23 of the Constitution;

(c) a woman or a child;

(d) a mentally ill or otherwise disabled person;

(e) a person under circumstances of undeserved want such as being a survivor of a mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake or industrial disaster; or

(f) an industrial workman; or

(g) in custody, including custody in a protective home within the meaning of clause (g) of section 2 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (104 of 1956); or in a juvenile home within the meaning of clause (j) of Section 2 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 (53 of 1986) or in a psychiatric hospital or psychiatric nursing home within the meaning of clause (g) of section 2 of the Mental Health Act, 1987 (14 of 1987); or

(h) in receipt of annual income less than rupees nine thousand or such other higher amount as may be prescribed by the 4.5.5 State Govt., if the case is before a court other than the Supreme Court, and less than rupees twelve thousand or such other higher amount as may be prescribed by the Central Govt., if the case is before the Supreme Court.”