LEGAL ASSISTANCE ESTABLISHMENT ‘NYAYA SAMADHAN’

Article 39-A of the Constitution of India enjoins the State to provide free legal aid and services to the weaker and marginalized sections. To give effect to the constitutional objectives, the Legal Services Authorities Act was enacted in 1987. Pursuant to the same, Legal Services Authorities have been set up at all levels from the National to the Taluka.

Bihar State Legal Services Authority is the State Authority constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 for carrying out the mandate of the Act in the whole of Bihar. It’s Patron-in-Chief is Hon'ble the Chief Justice, Patna High Court and the next senior most Judge of High Court of Patna is its Executive Chairman.

The Bihar State Legal Services Authority seeks to achieve the ideal of Access to Justice for All through various modes as laid down under the Act such as holding Lok Adalats, providing free legal aid and services to the poor, under privileged and deprived classes and those entitled under Section 12 of the Act and most importantly by creating legal awareness and spreading legal literacy.

The objective of Access to Justice has as its necessary concomitant easy access to information regarding legal aid and services and legal services institutions for the litigants and the general public. Recognising that the objective of providing legal aid to the needy sections would remain unrealised if the beneficiaries were made to run from pillar to post to get information about legal services, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dipak Misra, Judge, Supreme Court of India & Executive Chairman, NALSA conceived the idea of setting up a dedicated Unit in the Bihar State Legal Services Authority Office where such information from across Bihar would be easily available to the public and which would greatly enhance the accessibility of work being undertaken for providing legal services to the citizens. His Lordship also envisioned that in this era of digitalization, technology should be used to the maximum to the advantage of the common people.

With this vision and under the able guidance of Hon’ble Chief Justice, Patna High Court and Patron-in-Chief, Bihar State Legal Services Authority as well as Hon’ble Executive Chairman, Bihar State Legal Services Authority, Legal Assistance Establishment named “Nyaya Samadhan” established at the Bihar State Legal Services Authority Office, Patna.

The Legal Assistance Establishment ‘Nyaya Samadhan’ was inaugurated on 24th June, 2017 at BSLSA, Patna by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dipak Misra, Judge, Supreme Court of India & Executive Chairman, NALSA in the benign presence of Hon’ble Mr. Rajendra Menon, Chief Justice, Patna High Court and Patron-in-Chief, Bihar State Legal Services Authority as well as Hon’ble Mr. Justice Samarendra Pratap Singh, Judge Patna High Court and Executive Chairman, Bihar State Legal Services Authority with other Hon’ble Judges of Patna High Court.

-Nyaya Samadhan would be manned by Legal Services Advocate(s) on the panel of BSLSA along with staff of BSLSA, besides para legal volunteers, who would have knowledge about and, be in possession of database of all the activities of BSLSA as well as other information that may be required by people making queries.

-Nyaya Samadhan would be functional from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on all working days.

-Legal aid beneficiaries may approach Nyaya Samadhan for the purposes of getting information about the activities of BSLSA/DLSAs, for knowing about the status of their case pending in or disposed of by different courts, for legal aid anywhere in Bihar, for seeking legal aid and advice. Beneficiaries may also approach for information about Schemes of NALSA and BSLSA and if they need help in availing benefits under the different Government Schemes.

-At Nyaya Samadhan queries would be entertained through landline, dedicated mobile number, through use of SMS facility, through email and from people who visit the Centre.

-The dedicated Helpline No. 15100 of BSLSA would be operated from the Centre itself during working hours and thereafter access to it would be possible through the phone facility provided to Legal Aid Counsel assigned duties for the said activity.

-Video Conferencing facility provided in this Centre may be used by litigants as well as by BSLSA/DLSAs for proper response in respect of inquiry about any activity of respective DLSA or to facilitate communication of parties including jail inmates with their legal aid counsels or the concerned DLSA.

- Video Conferencing may also be availed through the mobile phone.

In this way, ‘Nyaya Samadhan’ would seek to further the objective of access to justice at all and justice at doorsteps whereby just by a call or by visiting just one place, a person could have access to all information about legal services or could even discuss his case with his legal aid lawyer without having to travel long distances thereby spending time, energy and money.