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THE NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY
3. Constitution of the National Legal Services
Authority. - (1) The Central Government shall constitute a body to be called the National
Legal Services Authority to exercise the powers and perform the functions conferred on, or
assigned to the Central Authority under this Act.
(2) The Central Authority shall consist of -
(a) the Chief Justice of India who shall be the Patron-in-Chief;
(b) a serving or retired Judge of the Supreme Court to be nominated by the President, in
consultation with the Chief Justice of India, who shall be the Executive Chairman; and
(c) such number of other members, possessing such experience and qualifications, as may be
prescribed by the Central Government, to be nominated by that government in consultation
with the Chief Justice of India.
(3) The Central Government shall in consultation with the Chief Justice
of India, appoint a person to be the Member-Secretary of the Central Authority, possessing
such experience and qualifications as may be prescribed by that Government, to exercise
such powers and perform such duties under the Executive Chairman of the Central Authority
as may be prescribed by that Government or as may be assigned to him by the Executive
Chairman of that Authority.
(4) The terms of office and other conditions relating thereto, of
Members and the Member-Secretary of the Central Authority shall be such as may be
prescribed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.
(5) The Central Authority may appoint such number of officers and other
employees as may be prescribed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief
Justice of India, for the efficient discharge of its functions under this Act.
(6) The officers and other employees of the Central Authority shall be
entitled to such salary and allowances and shall be subject to such other conditions of
service as may be prescribed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief
Justice of India.
(7) The administrative expenses of the Central Authority, including the
salaries, allowances and pensions payable to the Member-Secretary, officers and other
employees of the Central Authority, shall be defrayed out of the Consolidated Fund of
India.
(8) All orders and decisions of the Central Authority shall be
authenticated by the Member Secretary or any other officer of the Central Authority duly
authorised by the Executive Chairman of that Authority.
(9) No act or proceeding of the Central Authority shall be invalid
merely on the ground of the existence of any vacancy in or any defect in the constitution
of the Central Authority.
3A. Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.- (1) The Central Authority
shall constitute a Committee to be called the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee for
the purpose of exercising such powers and performing such functions as may be determined
by regulations made by the Central Authority.
(2) The Committee shall consist of -
(a) a sitting judge of the Supreme Court who shall be the Chairman; and
(b) such number of other members possessing such experience and qualifications as may be
prescribed by the Central Government to be nominated by the Chief Justice of India.
(3) The Chief Justice of India shall appoint a person to be the Secretary to the
Committee, possessing such experience and qualifications as may be prescribed by the
Central Government.
(4) The terms of office and other conditions relating thereto, of the Members and
Secretary of the Committee shall be such as may be determined by regulations made by the
Central Authority.
(5) The Committee may appoint such number of officers and other employees as may be
prescribed by the Central Government, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, for
the efficient discharge of its functions.
(6) The officers and other employees of the Committee shall be entitled to such salary and
allowances and shall be subject to such other conditions of service as may be prescribed
by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.
4. Functions of the Central Authority.- The Central Authority shall perform all or any of
the following functions, namely:-
(a) lay down policies and principles for making legal services available under the
provisions of this Act;
(b) frame the most effective and economical schemes for the purpose of making legal
services available under the provisions of this Act;
(c) utilise the funds at its disposal and make appropriate allocations of funds to the
State Authorities and District Authorities;
(d) take necessary steps by way of social justice litigation with regard to consumer
protection, environmental protection or any other matter of special concern to the weaker
sections of the society and for this purpose, give training to social workers in legal
skills;
(e) organise legal aid camps, especially in rural areas, slums or labour colonies with the
dual purpose of educating the weaker sections of the society as to their rights as well as
encouraging the settlement of disputes through Lok Adalats;
(f) encourage the settlement of disputes by way of negotiations, arbitration and
conciliation;
(g) undertake and promote research in the filed of legal services with special reference
to the need for such services among the poor;
(h) to do all things necessary for the purpose of ensuring commitment to the fundamental
duties of citizens under Part IVA of the Constitution;
(i) monitor and evaluate implementation of the legal aid programmes at periodic intervals
and provide for independent evaluation of programmes and schemes implemented in whole or
in part by funds provided under this Act;
(j) provide grants-in-aid for specific schemes to various voluntary social service
institutions and the State and District Authorities, from out of the amounts placed at its
disposal for the implementation of legal services schemes under the provisions of this
Act;
(k) develop, in consultation with the Bar Council of India, programmes for clinical legal
education and promote guidance and supervise the establishment and working of legal
services clinics in universities, law colleges and other institutions;
(l) take appropriate measures for spreading legal literacy and legal awareness amongst the
people and, in particular, to educate weaker sections of the society about the rights,
benefits and privileges guaranteed by social welfare legislations and other enactments as
well as administrative programmes and measures;
(m) make special efforts to enlist the support of voluntary social welfare institutions
working at the grass-root level, particularly among the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled
Tribes, women and rural and urban labour; and
(n) Coordinate and monitor the functioning of State Authorities, District Authorities,
Supreme Court Legal Services Committee, High Court Legal Services Committees, Taluk Legal
Services Committees and voluntary social service institutions and other legal services
organisations and given general directions for the proper implementation of the Legal
Services programmes.
5. Central Authroity to work in coordination with other agencies .- In the discharge of
its functions under this act, the Central Authority shall, wherever appropriate, act in
coordinatin with other governmental and non-governmental agencies, universities and others
engaged in the work of promoting the cause of legal services to the poor.
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