Parliament Question: Legal Aid Services

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4621 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 20TH MARCH, 2026 LEGAL AID SERVICES

4621. SHRI RAJESH VERMA:

SMT. SHAMBHAVI:

SHRI MUKESHKUMAR CHANDRAKAANT DALAL:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has translates about 80,000 judgments into 18 regional languages with a view to improving access to legal information for non-English speaking citizens, if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has launched the "Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana" for the welfare of India’s defence personnel, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the success of the "Nyaya Bandhu" app has effectively harnessed the expertise of young legal professionals to provide free legal aid, if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether about 8 lakh criminal cases have been resolved through the Legal Aid Defence Council System, if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether the "Hamara Samvidhan Hamara Samman" campaign has successfully inculcated constitutional values among the 70 lakh citizens it has reached, if so, the details thereof; and

(f) whether these inclusive legal aid schemes have effectively fulfilled the constitutional mandate of "Equal Justice for All", if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a): As on 09.03.2026, by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) translation tools, around 1,16,210 translations of Supreme Court judgements have been carried out in 18 languages viz. Hindi (36,553), Punjabi (37,006), Bengali (12,345), Gujarati (6,402), Tamil (5,467), Malayalam (4,379), Marathi (3,268), Urdu (2,987), Telegu (2,982), Kannada (2,215), Odia (1,806), Assamese (500), 1Nepali (196), Santali (58), Konkani (17), Garo (16), Khasi (12), and Kashmiri (1). The details of the translated Supreme Court Judgements in 18 languages are available on the SCR portal of the Supreme Court website.

(b): The Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana (VPSY), 2025, launched by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), aims to provide accessible and effective legal services to serving defence personnel, ex-servicemen, and their dependent family members, subject to eligibility under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. The Scheme covers a wide range of legal matters, including property disputes, welfare entitlements, matrimonial issues, civil disputes, and other related concerns. It is implemented through Legal Services Clinics established at Rajya and Zila Sainik Boards, in coordination with the State Legal Services Authorities and District Legal Services Authorities. As on 31.12.2025, there are 417 Legal Service Clinics functional at Zila Sainik Boards and 14,929 persons have benefitted/provided legal assistance under the Scheme.

(c): The Nyaya Bandhu Mobile App, available on Android, iOS, and the UMANG platform in six languages, facilitates the creation of a database of Pro Bono Advocates and promotes participation of advocates, including young legal professionals. As on 28.02.2026, a total of 10,263 advocates have been registered under the Nyaya Bandhu Programme.

(d): The Government of India has been implementing the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System

(LADCS), through NALSA. The scheme is aimed at providing legal aid in criminal cases to beneficiaries eligible under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Under this scheme, Legal Services Authorities extend legal assistance at every stage of criminal proceedings, ranging from the pre-arrest stage to the appellate stage. As on 31.12.2025, LADC offices are functional in 680 districts across the country. The details of cases assigned and disposed of by

LADCs during the last three years are as follows:- Criminal Cases Criminal Cases Financial Year assigned disposed 2023-24 3,36,830 2,12,505 2024-25 5,32,413 3,72,750 2025-26 3,93,614 2,86,326 Total 12,62,857 8,71,581

(e): The “Hamara Samvidhan, Hamara Samman” campaign has played a pivotal role in promoting awareness and inculcating constitutional values among citizens across the country. The campaign achieved extensive outreach, covering over 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, including Aspirational 2Districts and remote areas, thereby ensuring effective grassroots-level engagement. Four regional events were organised to facilitate decentralised outreach in diverse regions of the country, namely Bikaner (Rajasthan), Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Guwahati (Assam), and Kumbh, Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh). These events witnessed broad-based participation from key stakeholders, including students, members of the legal fraternity, civil society organisations, and government officials.

The campaign has, through sustained awareness and outreach initiatives, successfully strengthened constitutional consciousness among citizens and reached over 70 lakh individuals nationwide.

(f): The Government has established the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free and competent legal services to weaker sections of society and to organize Lok Adalats for promoting settlement of disputes. Legal Services Institutions have been established from the Taluk level to the Supreme Court, including the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC), 38 High Court Legal Services Committees, 37 State Legal Services Authorities, 715 District Legal Services Authorities and 2,475 Taluk Legal Services Committees. Their activities include legal aid and advice, legal awareness programmes, legal services clinics, legal literacy clubs, Lok Adalats and implementation of the Victim Compensation Scheme. During FY 2025–26 (upto January 2026), 16,60,249 persons have been provided free legal aid and advice, and 4,91,990 legal awareness programmes/camps have been organized, attended by 4,04,59,246 persons.

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