Govt begins free legal aid through video conferences for poor in UP, Bihar

The new service, called Tele-Law, is run by the law and IT ministries.

The government started a new legal aid program at nearly 500 villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on Sunday.

Union minister for law and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said the program aimed at delivering justice to the poor. (PTI FIle Photo)

An official press release described the program as a pilot before the rollout of a larger, national initiative. It did not specify a time frame.

The number of centres is set to double in the next phase, ultimately leading to the coverage of 1,800 panchayats across 10 states.

The new service, which the government refers to as the ‘Tele-Law’ scheme, is the product of a partnership between the law and IT ministries, each of which is headed by Ravi Shankar Prasad.

“Tele-Law will fulfil our commitment to ensure access to justice and empowerment of the poor,” said Prasad in the press release. “The Common Services Centres and Paralegal Volunteers will offer easy legal advice to litigants in rural India, making them digitally and financially inclusive.”

The scheme aims at to recruit all female volunteers, placing one at each village centre. The lawyers involved are selected by the National Legal Services Authority, a central government body. They will be based in state capitals and communicate with villagers through video conferencing.

Tele-Law falls under the Access to Justice Project for Marginalized Persons, a UN program being handled in India by the law ministry.