Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, Chief Justice Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh and Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia, Executive Chairman, Punjab State Legal Services Authority inaugurated Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) in District Rupnagar through virtual mode today.
Along-with Rupnagar, the LADCS has been inaugurated in 13 other districts of Punjab in 2nd phase of LADCS inauguration in the State. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Sessions Judges and Secretaries alongwith the Counsels of Legal Aid Defense Counsel System of the concerned 14 districts virtually.
Addressing the media, Ms. Himanshi Galhotra, CJM-cum-Secretary, DLSA, Rupnagar told that the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System has been introduced by NALSA in line with Public Defender System with the underline objective of the Legal Services Authorities to provide free and qualitative legal services to unrepresented jail inmates in a professional manner.
Prior to this, legal aid cases to jail inmates were dealt with by panel lawyers of legal services authority who were also continuing their private practice. Due to the same, the panel advocates could not devote full time to the cases of free legal aid.
Under the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System, the selected counsels shall devote their full time to free legal aid cases and shall not conduct their private practice. This shall ensure the availability of legal aid in timely manner to the legal aid seekers.
On this occasion Mr. Justice Arun Palli, Justice Harpreet Kaur Jeewan, Ramesh Chander Dimri Registrar General, Kamaljit Lamba Registrar Vigilance, High Court , Manjinder Singh Member Secretary and Ms. Smriti Dhir, Additional Member Secretary, PULSA remained present. Ms. Ramesh Kumari, District & Sessions Judge, Rupnagar and Ms. Himanshi Galhotra, Secretary, DLSA, Rupnagar alongwith Chief, Deputy and Assistant Legal Aid Defense Counsels attended the inauguration ceremony virtually.