Parliament Question: Pre-Litigation Advices under DISHA Scheme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5698 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 27TH MARCH, 2026 PRE-LITIGATION ADVICES UNDER DISHA SCHEME †5698. SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI: Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state: (a) the details of the beneficiaries under the Tele-Law programme including the number of pre- litigation advices provided so far under the Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA) scheme; (b) the current operational status of Tele-Law services across Common Service Centres (CSCs) including the extent of coverage in aspirational districts and blocks; (c) the number of advocates registered under the Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) programme and the institutional mechanisms established in various High Courts; and (d) the steps taken to strengthen the delivery of legal aid through Nyaya Sahayaks? 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 28th February, 2026, a total of 1,12,47,645 advices have been enabled under the Tele- Law programme since its inception in 2017. The State-wise details of beneficiaries provided with pre-litigation advice are at Annexure. 1(b) to (d): As on 28th February 2026, Tele-Law services are operational through over 2.50 lakh CSCs across 777 districts in 36 States/UTs, including 112 Aspirational Districts and 500 Aspirational Blocks. To strengthen service delivery in Aspirational Blocks, 385 Nyaya Sahayaks have been engaged across 500 Aspirational Blocks where they conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns, assist citizens in registering cases on the Tele-Law platform through the CSCs, and guide beneficiaries in accessing pre litigation advice from panel lawyers. In addition, they coordinate with CSC operators, local institutions and community organizations to expand outreach and ensure that legal assistance reaches remote and underserved populations. . Under the Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) programme, advocates voluntarily provide legal assistance to marginalized and disadvantaged sections of society covered under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987. As on 28thFebruary, 2026, a total of 10,263 advocates are registered on the Nyaya Bandhu portal. To strengthen institutional coordination, Pro Bono Panels have been constituted in 23 High Courts across the country. Further, digital accessibility has been enhanced through video conferencing facilities at CSCs, integration with the Tele-Law Portal, mobile-based access. Further, regular capacity building workshops, thematic webinars are organised for skilling the Nyaya Sahayaks. ****** 2ANNEXURE STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5698 FOR ANSWER ON 27.03.2026 REGARDING ‘PRE-LITIGATION ADVICES UNDER DISHA SCHEME’. State-wise details of Pre-litigation advice enabled as on 28th February, 2026 Sr. No. States/UT's Total Advice Enabled 1 Andaman and Nicobar 4,018 2 Andhra Pradesh 3,66,071 3 Arunachal Pradesh 20,363 4 Assam 2,40,397 5 Bihar 6,26,006 6 Chandigarh 6,146 7 Chhattisgarh 5,09,230 Dadra And Nagar Haveli & Daman & 8 11,051 Diu 9 Delhi 10,512 10 Goa 13,516 11 Gujarat 4,83,643 12 Haryana 2,18,794 13 Himachal Pradesh 1,20,670 14 Jammu And Kashmir 7,58,123 15 Jharkhand 4,80,257 16 Karnataka 4,88,245 17 Kerala 36,563 18 Ladakh 3,251 19 Lakshadweep 2,482 20 Madhya Pradesh 12,16,983 21 Maharashtra 9,27,522 322 Manipur 1,484 23 Meghalaya 30,320 24 Mizoram 34,051 25 Nagaland 29,897 26 Odisha 4,07,800 27 Puducherry 3,228 28 Punjab 3,01,498 29 Rajasthan 6,62,392 30 Sikkim 2,815 31 Tamil Nadu 3,01,871 32 Telangana 3,13,107 33 Tripura 97,616 34 Uttar Pradesh 20,31,066 35 Uttarakhand 2,18,632 36 West Bengal 2,68,025 Total 1,12,47,645 Source- https://tele-law.in/ (Tele-Law Dashboard Data) 4