Panchkula provides free legal aid to the under-trial prisoners to defend their criminal cases

Panchkula  February 06 –

                  District Legal Services Authority, Panchkula started Video Conferencing facility for interaction of under-trial prisoners with their legal aid advocates. Sh.Vivek Goyal, Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Panchkula informed that during visits to Central Jail, Ambala it remains a consistent grievance of the jail inmates that they do not get proper time to interact with their legal aid counsels. It is also felt that sometimes the advocates also feel the need to discuss the cases with the under-trial prisoners but since the under-trial prisoners of District Panchkula are lodged in Central Jail, Ambala, even the legal aid counsels face difficulty in getting proper information about the case from the under-trial prisoners.

Moreover, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India also in Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No.6740 of 2018 and Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No.6747 of 2018 titled Imtiyaz Ramzan Khan Vs. State of Maharashtra, vide order dated 14.08.2018 has directed all Legal Services Authorities/Committees in every State to extend Video Conferencing facility so that the under-trial prisoners could interact with their legal aid counsels.

He further informed that District Legal Services Authority, Panchkula provides free legal aid to the under-trial prisoners to defend their criminal cases. To make process of interaction between the under-trial prisoners and their legal aid counsels more easier the facility of Video Conferencing has been started in the District ADR Center, Panchkula. He further informed that list of under-trial prisoners has been prepared, as per which, all the legal aid counsels shall interact with the under-trial prisoners through video conferencing on rotation basis. The legal aid advocates shall be able to interact with the under-trial prisoners twice in a month which will help both the legal aid advocates as well as under-trial prisoners to discuss their cases.