Published Paper Details:

Abstract This paper attempts to analyse the impact of covid-19 on the functioning of the legal services authorities. It also explores the ways to strengthen the legal aid system of India. Lack of legal awareness is one of the impediments to equal access to justice. Legal services authorities are mandated to spread legal awareness, so it organised legal awareness camps to educate people about their rights. The Covid-19 induced restrictions on the mobility of people, and norms of social distancing adversely affected legal awareness camps. Lack of awareness, economic resources, infrastructure, and judges all foster unequal access to justice and delay in access to justice. This paper critically analyses the statistical data to assess the functioning of legal services authorities in the last three years, i.e. 2018 to 2021. The scope of data analyses is limited to the legal awareness camps, no. of people made aware of their rights in these camps, no. of beneficiaries availed legal aid, para-legal trained and placed in the legal services clinics. The analyses of statistical data for legal aid beneficiaries also check the impact of covid-19 on different categories of beneficiaries entitled to free legal aid under section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. The data analyses of poverty and pendency of cases further support the arguments proposed. Various schemes of the Department of Justice, National Legal Services Authority, Bar Council Of India are considered to explore better coordination between the stakeholders of the justice delivery system. The research paper concludes by emphasising the importance of the legal service clinics in bridging the gap between legal aid seekers and providers. Legal Services clinics have the potential of bringing justice to the doorstep of the people who can reach the doorstep of the justice delivery system.