NCJ Number
87113
Journal
Social Defence Volume: 17 Issue: 67 Dated: (January 1982) Pages: 5-24
Date Published
1982
Length
20 pages
Annotation
India's Constitution guarantees defendants the right to consult, and the Criminal Procedure Code requires state provision of free legal aid to indigent litigants.
Abstract
In practice, indigent persons in India do receive the services of a lawyer at the trial stage, but few receive the benefit of legal services in the early stages of pretrial proceedings, which are often crucial in determining the outcome of a case. Some State governments have extended legal aid to indigent litigants and members of certain castes and tribes. Moreover, India's highest court has mandated legal aid to indigents in landmark decisions. Legal aid should also be considered for discharged prisoners to help them assert their legal rights and repossess any property that may have been illegally confiscated while they were imprisoned. Various members of the legal profession and even senior law students could help by establishing legal aid clinics and visiting remote areas to inform citizens about their rights and duties under the law. The article concludes with the presentation of India's constitutional rights and duties of citizens. Nine bibliographic listings are provided.