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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5653
TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 27TH MARCH, 2026
NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY (NALSA)
†5653. SHRI ARUN GOVIL:
Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has constituted the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to
provide legal support to women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, disaster victims,
economically weaker sections/classes and poor so that no groups of people is deprived of
access to justice due to paucity of funds;
(b) if so, the total number of districts in the country wherein NALSA is operational;
(c) the number of districts in the country where NALSA is not operational so far;
(d) the time by which NALSA is likely to be made operational in the remaining districts;
(e) the rate of per case remuneration given to the lawyers serving under this Authority; and
(f) the number of people who have benefited from the National Legal Services Authority during
the last five years in the Meerut Parliamentary Constituency?
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) to (d): The Government of India has set up National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)
under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 to provide free and competent legal
services to the poor and marginalised sections of the society including women, Scheduled
Caste, Scheduled Tribe, disaster victims and economically weaker section, eligible under
Section 12 of LSA Act, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any
citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize Lok Adalats to secure
that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on the basis of equal opportunities.
As per Section 6(1) of LSA Act, 1987, “Every State Government shall constitute a body
to be called the Legal Services Authority for the State to exercise the powers and perform the
functions conferred on, or assigned to, a State Authority under this Act.”
1As per Section 9(1) of LSA Act, 1987, “The State Government shall, in consultation with
the Chief Justice of the High Court, constitute a body to be called the District Legal Services
Authority for every District in the State to exercise the powers and perform the functions
conferred on, or assigned to, the District Authority under this Act.”
In order to reach out to the citizens in every corner of the country, the legal services
authorities have been setup from the Taluk level up to the Supreme Court level. The
Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC) functions at the Supreme Court
whereas, there are 38 High Court Legal Services Committees (HCLSCs), 37 State Legal
Services Authorities (SLSAs), 715 District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) and 2475
Taluk Legal Services Committees (TLSCs).
(e): NALSA has framed the National Legal Services Authority (Free and Competent Legal
Services) Regulations, 2010. The Regulation 14 of the National Legal Services Authority
(Free and Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010, which provides for the payment of
fee to the panel lawyers are as follows:-
“14. Payment of fee to the panel lawyers. - (1) Panel lawyers shall be paid fee in
accordance with the Schedule of fee, as approved under the State regulations.
(2) The State Legal Services Authority and other Legal Services Institution shall effect
periodic revision of the honorarium to be paid to panel lawyers for the different types of
services rendered by them in legal aid cases.”
(f): Details of number of persons benefitted through free legal services under LSA Act in the
State of Uttar Pradesh (including the district of Meerut) during the last five financial years
are as follows: -
Year Persons benefited
2021-22 1,32,629
2022-23 24,890
2023-24 29,079
2024-25 22,732
2025-26
27,179
(upto January, 2026)
However, district and constituency wise data is not maintained by NALSA.
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