Central Govt. notifies — National Legal Services Authority (Free and Competent Legal Services) Amendment Regulations, 2019

F.No. L/61/10/NALSA.—In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 29 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 (39 of 1987) and in pursuance of the provisions in Section 4 of the Act to make available free and competent legal services to the persons entitled thereto under Section 12 of the said Act, the Central Authority hereby makes the following regulations further to amend the National Legal Services Authority (Free and Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010, namely:—

1. Short title and commencement – (1) These regulations may be called the National Legal Services Authority (Free and Competent Legal Services) Amendment Regulations, 2019.

                          (2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

2. In the National Legal Services Authority (Free and Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010 (hereinafter referred to as the principal regulations), in Regulation 4, –

(i) after sub-regulation (1), the following sub-regulation shall be inserted, namely:-

“(1A) The Front Offices shall act as one-stop centres for legal aid seekers to receive legal aid and advice and all information about their cases and all legal services provided by the Legal Services Institutions.”

3. In the principal regulations, in Regulation 8, –

(i) in sub-regulation (2), after first proviso the following proviso shall be inserted, namely: –

“Provided further that the size of panel should be optimised so that each lawyer can be allotted sufficient cases.”

(ii) for sub-regulation (11), the following sub-regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

“(11) The number of Retainer lawyers in the panel of each Legal Services Institution, should not exceed the minimal requirement as determined by the Executive Chairman or the Chairman, as the case may be.”

(iii) in sub-regulation (12), after first proviso the following proviso shall be inserted, namely: –

“Provided further that the State Legal Services Authority may decide to make the payment of honorarium to the Retainer Lawyers on the basis of number of days they man the Front Office. In such cases, the honorarium so payable shall not be less than ` 1500 per day of sitting at the district and taluka court level and ` 2500 at the High Court level.”

4. In the principal regulations, in Regulation 10, –

(i) in sub-regulation (2), in clause (i), for the words “a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court or a Senior Advocate as may be nominated”, the words “a Senior Advocate or an Advocate of at least 15 years of standing as nominated” shall be substituted.

(ii) in sub-regulation (3), in clause (i), for the words “a sitting or retired judge of the High Court or a Senior Advocate as may be nominated”, the words “a Senior Advocate or an Advocate of at least 15 years of standing as nominated” shall be substituted.

(iii) in sub-regulation (5), in clause (ii), after the word “officer”, the word “or” shall be inserted.

Ministry of Law and Justice

[Notification dt. 28-08-2019]