If the renewed vision, of our honourable Minister of Law and Social Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad is any indication then no more legal services would remain limited to the rich, but that will also be made available to the poor through Pro Bono Legal Schemes. Earlier, in the absence of money, the poor class couldn't go through the whole legal process and formalities and failed to get justice.
"No more, justice delayed means justice denied, through Pro Bono Legal Schemes."
We all know, fighting a long dispute or a battle drains the funds and time, and if you belong to the category of have not’s then it's a double jeopardy. To seek timely justice and disbursal of your case or litigation, it is important to avail the services of a top lawyer who could fight your case with great professionalism.
April, 20th' 2017, few great schemes have been launched, where judicial experts and judges will choose cases based on their expertise and will volunteer to support the people, i.e., Pro Bono. Moreover, the main aim would also be at reducing pendency of cases which have been pending for over more than ten years.
Nyaya Mitra Scheme will function in the selected district and identified localities and, the project will operate out of District Facilitation Centers, housed in CSC. The responsibilities would also include among others to assist litigants who are suffering due to delay in investigation or trial, by actively identifying data and cases from National Judicial Data Grid which provides legal advice and connects litigants to DLSA, CSC Tele Law, other government agencies and civil societies.
Shree Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Union Law Minister has initiated the schemes, who himself was a lawyer of profound knowledge and reputation. Under these, there will be three areas viz. Pro Bono Legal Service, Tele Law service and Nyaya Mitra Scheme. It will be made available initially, in 227 districts in 15 states to begin with, and gradually will be extended to other states to bring justice to the people.
PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICEThe main objective of the Pro Bono Legal Service is to encourage lawyers and legal experts to provide free legal aids, to recognise pro bono legal work being provided by lawyers and legal professionals, and to create a database capturing information of lawyers for appropriate positions in the relevant fields.
TELE LAW SERVICEThe name itself is self-explanatory, Tele Law will be aimed at extending delivery of legal advice through an expert panel of lawyers – stationed at the State Legal Services Authorities (SLSA).
The project would connect lawyers with clients through video conferencing facilities at CSCs, which will be operated by para legal volunteers.
In the beginning, the project would be launched across 1800 panchayats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, North Eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir.
NYAYA MITRANyaya Mitra scheme is aimed at reducing pendency of cases across selected districts, with special emphasis on those pending for more than 10 years. A retired judicial officer, or an executive officer with judicial experience, will be put in charge for assistance.
It seems such schemes will wipe away the tears of people who suffer silently, either due to lack of funds or in the absence of a very fast judicial system. If, it is implemented properly could be a path breaker as compared to other versions of such initiatives taken, for providing social justice to people which were earlier invoked.
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