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Legal aid defence counsel office inaugurated at Chandigarh district courts
The legal aid defence counsel office consists of one chief legal aid counsel, three deputy chief legal counsels, four assistant legal aid counsels and four ministerial staff members
The office of legal aid defence counsel was inaugurated at District Courts, Sector 43, on Monday. It was inaugurated by justice Ritu Bahri, judge Punjab and Haryana high court and executive chairperson, state legal services authority, in the presence of justice Anupinder Singh Grewal, administrative judge, sessions division.
The office consists of one chief legal aid counsel, three deputy chief legal counsels, four assistant legal aid counsels and four ministerial staff members.
In a bid to provide qualitative and competent legal services in a more professional way, National Legal Services Authority introduced a legal aid defence counsel system involving a full time engagement of lawyers with a support system which will deal with legal aid work in criminal matters in line with “Public defender system.”
Besides this, a counselling centre at ADR Centre, District Courts, Sector 43, was also officially inaugurated. It is functional since May last year and till now 534 cases have been settled by the counsellors.
At present, the counselling centre has one child counsellor, two general counsellors and two pro bono counsellors, who provide counselling in pre-litigative matters, matrimonial/family disputes with women cell, Chandigarh, custody matters of children, cases under Section 125 of CRPC, Domestic Violence Act, under Section 498A of the IPC, and other matters involving family disputes pending in the district court.
