Free Legal Aid

Any person desiring legal aid may make an application in the prescribed form addressed to the Member-Secretary of the Authority/Committee. The Authority/Committee concerned shall consider the application and decide desirability of granting legal aid and its decision to give or refuse legal aid is final.
Every person who has to file or defend a case shall be entitled to legal aid if that person is –
a) Member of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe.
b) Women and Children.
c) Victims of Trafficking in human being or beggar.
d) Disabled person.
e) Victims of mass disaster, violence, flood, drought, earthquake and industrial disaster.
f) Industrial Workman.
g) Person in - custody.
h) Person whose annual income does not exceed Rs.50,000’00
Legal aid may be given in all or any one or more of the following modes, namely -
a) Payment of court-fees, process fees, expenses of witnesses and all other charges payable or incurred in connection with any legal proceedings
b) Providing Advocate fees in legal proceedings
c) Obtaining and supplying of certified copies of order, notes of evidence and other documents in legal proceedings
d) Drafting of legal documents.
Legal aid shall not be given in the following cases, namely –
a) Proceedings wholly or partly in respect of
i) Defamation
ii) Malicious prosecution
b) Proceedings relating to any election,
c) Proceedings incidental to any proceedings referred to in items (a) & (b) above.
d) Proceedings in respect of offences punishable with fine only.
e) Proceedings in respect of economic offences against social laws such as protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and Suppression of Immoral Traffic In Women and Girls Act, 1955.
No application for legal aid shall be allowed, if the Authority/Committee is satisfied that -
a) the applicant has knowingly made false statement or furnished false information as regards his/her means or place of residence, or
b) in a proceeding other than the one relating to criminal prosecution, there is no prima facie case to institute or as the case may be, to defend the proceeding, or
c) the application is frivolous or fictitious ;
d) the applicant is not entitled to legal aid under the Act / Rules/ Regulations;
e) having regard to all circumstances of the case, it is otherwise not reasonable to grant it.

Year-wise break up of number of persons benefited  

Sl. No.

Year

Persons benefited

01

2003

294

02

2004

406

03

2005

703

04

2006

67

05

2007

875

06

2008

846

07

2009

1034

08

Upto July, 2010

535