Share of National Legal Services Authority fund utilized in India FY 2020, by state

The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh utilized the entire share of the National Legal Services Authority fund in financial year 2020. By contrast, the union territory of Lakshadweep utilized only about six percent of the NALSA fund that year.

National Legal Services Authority

The NALSA, located in New Delhi, first came into being under the Legal Services Authorities Acts of 1987. The primary role of this body is to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of society while ensuring that opportunities for securing justice are accessible and affordable to every citizen of the country. In addition, it also carries the onus of organizing Lok Adalats which translates as “people’s court”. Lok Adalat is an official judicial alternative dispute resolution system, which attempts to settle pending cases at the panchayat level or village council level. In a court of law, this serves as a formal pre-litigation stage.

Legal aid in India

Free legal services include free legal aid in all civil and criminal matters for the socio-economically weaker sections of society. Primarily, it alludes to the marginalized sections of society unable to afford lawyer services for settling any legal proceedings in a court. However, free legal aid may include the nominal charges such as payment of court fees or other miscellaneous charges relative to legal proceedings. The sections of society enlisted under the Legal Services Authorities Act are women and children, victims of human trafficking or natural disasters, a mentally disabled person, citizens with an annual income of less than nine thousand rupees, industrial workmen and members belonging to scheduled casts and tribes.