North-East District Legal Services Authority has been constituted in terms of Section 9 of Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 and is governed by District Legal Services Authority Regulations, 2002 of Delhi. This authority has its office at Karkardooma Court Complex. Ld. District & Sessions Judge, Karkardooma Courts is the Ex-Officio Chairman of this authority and an officer of Delhi Judicial Services has been deputed as full time Secretary for looking after the day to day affairs of this authority. The object of North-East District Legal Services Authority is to provide ‘access to justice for all’. This authority, as per the mandate of the Act, primarily perform three kinds of functions i.e :-
Legal aid services.
Legal awareness.
Organization of Lok Adalats.
For smooth functioning of the authority, there are three wings i.e Legal Aid Wing, Legal Awareness Wing and Lok Adalat Wing which works under direct supervision of Secretary, North-East District Legal Services Authority.
The main function of Legal Aid Wing is to provide legal aid services to the beneficiaries which includes providing of legal aid counsels for filing/defending court case, legal advice/opinion and counselling. The legal service counsels are provided to the beneficiaries as per their entitlement as provided under Section 12 of Legal Services Act, 1987. For effective dispensation of legal aid services, this authority has a penal of around 95 dedicated legal aid advocates who have been trained in legal aid services for the purpose. The authority also maintains a front office which consists of a front office lawyer/counsellor for attending legal aid beneficiaries on all working days and same works under direct supervision of the Secretary. Counselling of missing children, attending the motor accident cases for claim purposes, counselling of rape victims and providing compensation to victims of crime as per Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme are some other facets of legal aid services being provided by this authority.
For the purpose of legal awareness, the authority has a Legal Awareness Wing which also functions under the direct supervision of the Secretary. The primary function of the Wing is to spread legal awareness by organizing legal awareness programmes at different levels i.e schools, colleges, communities, Gender resource centres (GRC), police stations, residential welfare associations (RWA) and govt. offices etc. This Wing conducts legal awareness programmes as per the calender of National Legal Services Authority/Delhi State Legal Services Authority and also moots its own programmes . This Wing has established as many legal literacy clubs in various Govt. schools/NDMC and private schools for spreading legal awareness at school level. The authority also conducts legal awareness programmes in all the police stations falling within the jurisdiction of Karkardooma Court Complex on monthly basis so as to sensitize the police officials about different laws.
Lok Adalat Wing primarily looks after organizing of Monthly/National/ Daily Continuous Lok Adalat at North-East District. The purpose of organizing of said Lok Adalat is amicable settlement of disputes. Both pre-litigative as well as pending court cases are referred to Lok Adalats being organized by said Wing.
