Pune: The State government has approved the appointment of civil judges (senior division) as secretaries of the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) in 19 districts mostly from Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. The DLSA provides free legal services to people from weaker sections of society.
The districts where the appointments will be made are Gadhchiroli, Amravati, Beed, Bhandara, Buldhana, Nandurbar, Gondia, Jalna, Washim, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Sindhudurg, Wardha and Mumbai suburban.
The government will incur Rs 2.1 crore expenditure on the new appointments, a government resolution (GR) stated.
The other 15 districts in the State already have dedicated secretaries for the District Legal Services Authorities. In 2013 and 2016, the National Legal Services Authority passed a resolution for full-time secretaries for all district legal services authorities.
In April this year, a meeting was held between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mumbai High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur. At this meeting, it was decided to fill all
vacant posts.
Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority has been constituted under Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, which is enacted to effectuate the constitutional mandate enshrined under Articles 14 and 39-A of the Constitution of India. The object is ‘Access to justice for all’ so that justice is not denied to citizens by reasons of economic or other disabilities.
The main objective, penchant and directions of the Legal Services Authority is to take real, practical and positive steps to ensure that there is equality and fairness for all in the justice process to fulfill the mandate of Constitution of India. The large populace is cursed with poverty and illiteracy, therefore, the role of Legal Services Authority assumes great significance. Free legal services entail the provision of free legal aid in civil and criminal matters for those poor and marginalised people who cannot afford the services of a lawyer for the conduct of a case or a legal proceeding in any court, tribunal or before an authority.
