NEW DELHI: In a bid to offer quality legal aid to the poor under trials languishing in prison for years, National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) is attempting to hike the fee paid to the lawyers for each appearance while also reviewing the list of practitioners who are already on their panel.The move comes after a committee constituted by NALSA observed that, “The court fee paid to panel lawyers is very low and it is difficult to attract competent lawyers. The fee of panel lawyers and defence lawyers should be raised reasonably and revise it periodically so that quality legal aid services can be provided to the poor litigants.”
As per the law commission, 67 per cent of India’s prison inmates are under trial prisoners, who are presumably innocent according to law. A majority of them are less educated, making it difficult for them to reach out for legal aid.A Parliamentary Panel report issued earlier this month, stated,“The committee is pained to note that even after 30 years of the enactment of legal services authorities act, NALSA has not be able to establish legal services clinics in all the jails of the country.”
According to NALSA, 1,070 legal services clinics have been established in various jails across the country. The committee has also recommended that NALSA should monitor the work of State Legal Services Authority as it came to notice that under trials were not given proper legal aid.
The committee also observed that in most cases, incompetent lawyers who do not understand the complexity of the crime, are empanelled. Also, in most cases the prisoners are unaware of who is representing them and at what stage their case is.“NALSA should re-examine the ground realities and take all necessary measures such as the appointment of adequate number of remand advocates, coordinating with under trial review committees to ensure that their constitutional rights are protected,” the committee had submitted.