Under the guidance of Sh. Harpal Singh, District & Sessions Judge, SAS Nagar, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar organized Legal Awareness Programme at Chandigarh University, Gharuan.
On this occasion, Sh. Baljinder Singh Maan, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar addressed the gathering that as per Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, any Member of Scheduled Caste and Tribe, a person who has suffered from natural calamity, industrial worker, children, lunatic and a person not in his senses, persons in the custody of the police, people who are having an annual income of less than 3 lakhs, Mentally disturbed, woman and child irrespective of their income, a victim of a mass disaster and victims of Human Trafficking etc. are eligible for free legal services.
Free Legal Services include services of a lawyer, drafting charges, court fee, summoning fee and other misc. expenses which occur for contesting a case. Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar also apprised about Punjab Victim Compensation Scheme, 2017, compensation can be granted to the victims where the offender is untraced/untraceable or unidentified but the victim is identified and where no trial takes place and the victim has to incur expenses and mental rehabilitation.
Besides this, compensation can be granted to victim or his dependants where recommendation is made by the by Court for grant of compensation under Sub-Section (2) and (3) of Section 357A of the Code of Criminal Procedure. A victim or his dependants may file application in the office of District Legal Services Authority for getting compensation.
The woman victims of sexual assault and other crimes may apply for compensation under NALSA’s Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/ Survivor of Sexual Assault/other Crimes-2018. Dr. O.P. Midha, Director UILS was also present at the moment.