The Concept of Legal Aid & Social Justice Cell

Legal Aid, in its common sense, conveys the assistance provided by the society to its weaker members in their effort to protect their rights & liberties.

The general meaning of the term "legal Aid" therefore is a legal support, social security, social arrangement, extending and providing special assistance or help to the poorer and weaker members to enable them enforce their legal rights through legal process.

Therefore the provision legal aid is essential for the safe walk of democracies on the track of rule of law & the equal protection of laws.

Social justice cell
The Social Justice Cell we means the institutions/cells which are working to provide adequate support service & justice to the common people through Legal Aid. There have some provisions of Legal Aids as:

• The Constitution
• PIL
• The Lok Adalat
• The women cell
• The law colleges
• Legal advice by voluntary org.
• The Gram Panchayat

The Constitution
The Constitution of the republic of India, which came into force on 26th January, 1950, with 395 articles and nine schedules, is one of the most elaborate fundamental law ever adopted. The Preamble to the Constitution pledges to secure to all the citizens of India Justice, social, economic and political, liberty of thought, expression, equality of status, fraternity assuring dignity of the individual. The Constitution aims to ensure equality before law, thereby turning to be the first source of legal aid.

The PIL
The Publi Interest Litigation is intended to promote & vindicate public interest which demands that violations of constitutional or legal rights of large number of people who are poor, ignorant or in a socially or economically disadvantaged position .

The Lok Adalat
Lok Adalat is a central & state level body which established to promote, guide& supervise the establishment and working of legal aid clinics, bureaus and other law colleges & Universities.It make proposals with a view to reaching legal aid & social justice to the weaker sections of the society .

The Women Cell
The National perspective plan for women had recommended that the planning commission & each ministry/department should have a women’s cell. The women cell should review the plan, schemes and other programmes. Mandatory crime women cell should function in every Police Station & power has given to the DGP to take initiatives for investigation.

The Law Colleges
The Law Colleges turns to the Primary medium of spreading legal literacy. The University & the Board of Control has taken a decision to make legal literacy & legal conciliation as a part of academic teaching for the final year students. The legal aid clinics have also established in the law department of all the Universities in the State.

Legal advice by the V.O
The Voluntary Organizations provide supplement supports to such people who are in problem. Specially the All India Women Associations, The Rotary Clubs, CYSD, We Can, Red Cross, Help Line, Zuban (New Delhi) are working to provide right & justice to the people.

The Gram Panchayat
After the Gram Panchayat Act,1994, the Gram Panchayats are largely engaged & interested in the development work, working to provide justice at doorsteps, for which they get liberal grants from the State/Central Government. But due to illiteracy of panchayat functionaries as regards the provisions of law, they avoiding legal works.