Punjab to have special legal clinics at Amritsar, Jalandhar

Chandigarh, July 26 (UNI) Punjab Legal Services Authority (PLSA) has decided to open two special legal clinics at Jalandhar and Amritsar very soon to provide speedy and inexpensive justice to the people and accelerate the process of monitoring legal aid cases in various Lok Adalts.

This was stated here today at the general body meeting of PLSA by Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Justice Vijender Jain. He is also the patron-in-chief of PLSA.

Presiding over the meeting, the Chief Justice asked PLSA to create legal awareness and legal literacy programmes for underprivileged and deprived people who have no easy access to legal system for securing justice.

He advised the authority to fully utilise the permanent Lok Adalats to settle the long pending cases pertaining to public utility services. He also directed the PLSA to create a mass awareness programme to combat the rising trend of female infanticides in the state to stabilise the sex ratio.

During the meeting Justice P Satha Sivam, Executive Chairman of PLSA said the Authority was facing a financial crunch. The Principal Secretary Finance D S Kalha agreed to enhance the grant-in-aid from the current amount of Rs two lakh to Rs 30 lakh per annum.

A suitable building or site at Mohali for housing of PLSA instead of the temporary/rented accommodation was also agreed upon.

In order to create awareness programme for free legal aid among the masses Mr Jagjit Puri, Secretary Information and Public Relations proposed for getting printed any kind of publicity material for PLSA. The state government also assured that nominations to the Lok Adalats would be made at the earliest.

Others present in the meeting included Mr S C Aggarwal, Principal Secretary Home, Mr Narinderjit Singh, Secretary Welfare, DGP N P S Aulakh and Mr H S Mattewal Advocate General.

UNI