New Delhi, The Supreme Court Legal Service Committee has identified 4,216 prisoners lodged in different jails around the country to provide legal aid and ensure their release.
In a review meeting held virtually with the chief justices of different high court on Monday, Justice Surya Kant the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee chairman was informed that more than 800 case files had been received and legal aid provided to around 300 inmates.
Justice Kant asked all State Legal Service Authorities to send the case files and documents required in all other cases so that the convicted prisoners could avail the legal remedies.
During the hearing in one of the cases related to life convicts in the Supreme Court, Justice Kant said, “We have identified 4,216 matters where convicts across the country are entitled to three kinds of relief those who have not filed appeals against dismissal of appeals by the high court, those who have undergone half of the sentence and not released on bail, and those who have completed their sentence and entitled for premature release.”
Justice Kant further said, “If someone can communicate to them , then we will provide them counsel of their choice. We have deployed our teams to look into everything. We will take care of everything.”
The SCLSC launched a special campaign in jails, in association with all SLSAs and prison authorities, on January 10 to facilitate access to legal remedies before the Supreme Court for eligible inmates.
In the process, 4,216 prisoners were found to be eligible for legal aid from the SCLSC.
On April 1, Justice Kant conducted a virtual meeting with all high courts and impressed upon them to reach out to those inmates identified and send their paper books and other required documents if they were willing to avail legal aid.
Under the campaign, more than 3,900 inmates had wished to avail legal aid from the SCLSC.
During Monday’s meeting, Justice Kant issued directives to accelerate the campaign.
High Court Legal Service Committees have been instructed to expedite the transmission of pending paper books, exclusively through special messengers, including on weekends and holidays, and ensure the prompt rectification of any deficiencies in the files.
To streamline coordination, each HCLSC has been directed to designate a nodal officer in every district.
These officers will serve as direct points of contact with the SCLSC to address file defects, seek clarifications, and facilitate timely communication.
Justice Kant also urged the HCLSCs to actively counsel inmates who had initially declined legal aid, underscoring the quality and competence of representation provided through the SCLSC.
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