Frequently asked questions
Who is entitled to free Legal Services?
- A member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
- A victim of trafficking in human beings or beggar as referred to in Article 23 of the Constitution.
- A woman or a child.
- A mentally ill or otherwise disabled person.
- A person under circumstances of undeserved want such as being a victim of a mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake or industrial disaster.
- An industrial workman.
- An under-Trial in custody including a Juvenile.
- A person with an annual income of less than 1 Lakh as revised from time to time.
What is the subject in which legal services may be availed?
- All cases of a civil nature such as property disputes, matrimonial and custody matters, labour matters, compensation in motor accident cases, consumer disputes.
- Cases involving criminal offences.
- Cases involving violation of fundamentals rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of India.
How to apply for Legal Aid?
-
- By filing an application in writing stating in brief the grievance or the case for which legal aid is required.
- If the applicant is illiterate or is not in a position to write, the Member Secretary or an officer of the Legal Services Authority/ Committee/Counsel/Para Legal volunteer shall record his verbal submission and obtain his thumb impression on the record.
- The applicant shall be required to execute an affidavit in the prescribed form available without fee as to verify the eligibility criteria for seeking legal services
- The applicant may also be examined by the Member Secretary of the Legal Services Authority /Committee to verify the facts stated in the affidavit.