It is said that justice is universal, and it doesn’t discriminate between the rich and the poor.
However, it is a fact that the process of getting justice is quite costly. Not everyone can bear the expenses incurred in legal procedures such as loan settlement.
Free legal aid, therefore, is considered the fundamental need in many countries.
In India, there is a possibility of getting free legal aid for people who belong to the category of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe.
Also, victims of human trafficking, women or children, people with disabilities, and people becoming victims of mass disaster or ethnic violence can demand free justice.
Other categories where free justice can be sought are:
- People in custody, including the protective home of immoral traffic prevention, juvenile home, psychiatric hospital or nursing home, etc.
- Human resources working in industries
- People below the poverty line
Other than these predefined criteria, it is possible to get free aid in very exceptional conditions or scenarios. Npa lawyers normally don’t fall under this category.
Ways to get free legal aid
If a person qualifies the eligibility criteria of the LSA act, then he or she must contact the appropriate body constituted under the act.
Some of the forums where one can get free legal aid are:
Direct Application path
Here, the application is made to the DRT after paying off the required fee. There are 33 DRTs in 22 locations such as drt mumbai. Under Section 19 of the RDDBFI Act, all prerequisites are mentioned.
The application has to be submitted to the DRT that falls under the same jurisdiction region where the bank or financial institution runs the business.
Legal aid clinics
The legal service authorities in the districts are supposed to establish legal aid clinics in every village or cluster of villages as per the size of it.
It is all the more essential in areas where social, geographical, and other barriers exist.
Legal help in law colleges and universities
Like medical colleges provide medical services to people, law colleges and universities provide legal aid to people.
It is part of legal education, and there are no charges incurred.
NGOs
Several Non-government organizations offer free legal services to people and help them in getting justice in cases like npa account settlement.
Online forums
Nowadays, it is possible to get legal advice to people through online services for npa management.