NEWS – Supreme Court judge Justice BR Gavai has been nominated as the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC)

SCLSC

• Statutory body established under Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987
• Aim – provide free legal services to eligible persons and promote the rule of law
• Establishment – 1987
• Composed of 9 members appointed by the Chief Justice of India
• Legal services clinics may be established under the committee’s guidance to provide legal aid at the grassroots level, making it more accessible to the local population
• The committee may also take up or support Public Interest Litigations (PILs) that have broader implications for society and the protection of human rights.
• Although the idea of a legal aid programme was earlier floated in the 1950s, it was in 1980 that a committee at the national level was established under the chairmanship of then SC judge Justice PN Bhagwati. The Committee for Implementing Legal Aid Schemes started monitoring legal aid activities throughout India