1.Introduction
Legal Aid is a term that is used for the economically weaker and comes from the marginalized section of the society. This legal aid provides access to justice for these peoples. It provides a range of services which includes legal advice, mediation, legal representation, also spreading the legal knowledge. The concept of Legal Aid was started to look after the people who have no social standing and are economically weaker.
2.Vision
In this legal research we have chosen a college whose responsibility is to adopt a village and start legal awareness in that particular village. So, In this implementation we will see in this research and understand the stages of how the Legal Aid system works.
3.Objective
According to Section 12 of legal services authority act 1982, states who are eligible for free legal aid. I include many people in its list such as:
- Women
- Children
- Person whose annual income is below 2 lakh
- Survivors of any natural calamity etc.
Providing legal aid to the women and children without seeing her income even though they are capable of appointing the lawyers by himself but if they ask for help we have to do this. Provide free legal service to people who can not afford this and make a door of access to justice for them. Article 39A, Article 14 and Article 22(1) of the Indian Constitution also emphasizes the importance of equality, fairness, and justice for all.
4.Plan of action
The implementation of legal aid services can be done by many steps, from organizing legal awareness programs to providing actual legal services. There are following steps given below to effectively implement the services:
(i) Organize Legal Aid Team:
The formation of a legal aid team should be the first step of the college in order to provide the legal services. The team consist, two/three student volunteers who have a good knowledge of legal aid services. It will be run under the guidance of faculty of college and practicing lawyers.
It is highly recommended to have a female volunteer in this team. Make sure the team communication skills should be good so that they can easily connect with the people of that particular village.If a village speaks any specific language then select volunteers according to this. Who can understand that particular language and connect with the aggrieved party.
(ii) Conduct a Research:
Research can include crime against women, domestic violence, land related disputes, inheritance, workers' rights, juvenile crime etc. It may be helpful to talk with villagers about the issues in that village. Collaborate with village leaders, local authorities, and other organizations who are working at grassroot level. By doing this type of research we can effectively provide the legal aid services in that village.
(iii) Collaboration with NGOs:
There are many NOGs who working under this domain of free legal aid. It is suggested to connect with those non-governmental organizations and make your service more effective and competent.
They can also give you workforce and monetary help if it is required. The college can also work with local authorities to ensure sustainability.
(iv) Counseling Office:
The team will create a counseling office in the village where they Offer free counseling to villagers who have legal queries. Office can also have a particular open and close timing with working days. Make sure close timing does not take too long which makes women uncomfortable.
This can be done through face-to-face meetings, online platforms and phone consultations. It makes the process easy for the people who need legal help.
5. Activities Under Campaign
There are some activities given below which have been performed by the State Legal Service Authority (SLSA) in collaboration with the law college in that particular adopted village. These activities will help people to understand legal information and make access to justice easy.
(i) Legal Advice and Consultation:
The first activity is to offer free legal advice to the person who is seeking it. In villages the majority of people are unaware about their rights which they have. So it is important to guide those people and tell them about their rights, remedies and the process of administration of Justice. Our team will help those people and easily navigate on various matters like domestic violence, consumer rights, property disputes or any other legal issues.
(ii) Legal Representation:
An important objective of legal aid is to provide legal representation for free. Those who can not afford a lawyer, our duty is to provide an attorney for their suit. People can easily contact Legal Aid cells and they will assign a lawyer for their cases. This service is only for those people who come from the marginalized section of society.
(iii) Legal Awareness Campaigns:
Legal awareness camps will be set up throughout the village. Under the campaign, volunteers will organise legal awareness programs, workshops and seminars to educate people about their rights and duties. The team will also distribute the legal literacy materials in English language as well as regional language.
(iv) Mediation and Conciliation Services:
Without fighting any case we can resolve a dispute by the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods. Under this people will sit into a mediation and conciliation center where they discuss and resolve the disputes. Our volunteers encourage people for amicable settlements which help to avoid perpetuating litigation. It solved the dispute in a peaceful manner.
(vi) Legal Aid Clinics:
Establishing legal aid clinics in the village with the help of educational institutions. This will help people to get localized legal services. These clinics will focus on immediate legal assistance and try to raise awareness about their rights.
(vii) Prisoner Support Services:
It is crucial to provide legal advice to those who are in trial. Make sure that if there is any violation of undertrial prisoners, raise concerns about it. Telling about the rights and defences which they can use to minimize their punishment. Further, we can inform the prisoners about the issues related to bail, parole, and wrongful imprisonment.
(viii) Government Welfare Schemes:
Our volunteers will work hard to effectively apply the government welfare schemes into that village. This will help individuals to access legal entitlements under government schemes which includes housing scheme, employment scheme, legal aid scheme, social security, and many more.
Collaborative Department
It is important to collaborate with other government departments and NGOs to provide free Legal Aid competently and effectively. By this we can use more workforce and keep in touch with maximum people.
Our goal is to create a framework where law colleges can work with government bodies, non-governmental organizations, and other local authorities in order to achieve the objective. There are some departments and agencies given below, by collaboration with these would be crucial:
- Department of Justice
- National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)
- Ministry of Rural Development
- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
- Local Police Departments
- NGOs and Civil Society Organizations
Expected Outcomes
If all the things work perfectly then we can achieve our objective by increasing the legal awareness among the people who live in that particular village. Strengthen the legal system in the village and apply the government policies effectively with the collaboration of the educational institutions and government organisations. We hope, after this implementation of legal aid service to the village by the college legal aid committee. That particular village will stand out for their rights.
0 Comments