Total of 45,859 Supreme Court Judgments Translated
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Synopsis
On February 7, the Law Ministry announced that a total of 36,335 Supreme Court judgments and 45,859 High Court verdicts have been translated into various vernacular languages. The government has initiated a scheme to provide legal aid to citizens in criminal cases, enhancing access to justice across the nation.
Key Takeaways
- 36,335 Supreme Court judgments translated into Hindi.
- 45,859 verdicts available in other vernacular languages.
- Legal Aid Defence Counsel System (LADCS) launched for legal support in criminal cases.
- Rs 998.43 crore allocated for LADCS over three years.
- Tele-Law Service available in 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats.
New Delhi, Feb 7 (NationPress) A total of 36,335 Supreme Court judgments have been translated into Hindi, and 45,859 verdicts have been translated into other vernacular languages and uploaded on the e-SCR portal, as reported to Parliament on Friday.
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, informed the Lok Sabha that 12,629 judgments from nine High Courts have been translated into Hindi, while 18,315 judgments have been translated into other vernacular languages as of September 27, 2024, and are available on the respective High Courts' websites.
In response to a question regarding the government's initiatives to ensure accessible justice for all citizens, MoS Meghwal stated, “The government has launched a new Central Sector Scheme called the Legal Aid Defence Counsel System (LADCS) on March 12, 2024, aimed at providing legal aid specifically for criminal cases.”
The LADCS scheme has an approved financial outlay of Rs 998.43 crore over three years (FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26), he noted.
As of September 30, 2024, LADCS offices are operational in 653 districts nationwide, employing 4,674 staff, which includes 3,167 Defense Counsels. During the fiscal year 2024-25 (up to September 2024), LADCS offices managed over 2.54 lakh criminal cases.
MoS Meghwal mentioned that the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was established under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 to deliver free and effective legal services to underprivileged sections, as outlined in Section 12 of the Act.
The initiatives taken by Legal Services Authorities encompass legal aid and advice, legal awareness programs, legal services/empowerment camps, Legal Services Clinics, Legal Literacy Clubs, Lok Adalats, and the implementation of the Victim Compensation Scheme, he added.
MoS Meghwal highlighted that in 2021, a nationwide initiative titled 'Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India' (DISHA) was launched for five years (2021-2026) with a budget of Rs 250 crore.
The DISHA initiative seeks to deliver legal services that are easy, accessible, affordable, and citizen-focused through programs like Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services), and legal literacy and awareness initiatives.
By January 2025, the Tele-Law Service had been made available in 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats across 785 districts in 36 States and UTs, providing pre-litigation advice to 1,06,85,242 beneficiaries.
