The Acting Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court, Justice A. J. Desai who virtually inaugurated the offices of the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System in the 11 districts of the State
However, with this the Gujarat High Court became the third state in the country, after the state of Jharkhand and Kerala wherein the said Legal Aid Defense Counsel System has become functional in all the 32 District Headquarters.
Further, the 11 districts where the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System was being inaugurated are Ahmedabad (Rural), Banaskantha at Palanpur, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kheda at Nadiad, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara and also the two Legal Services Committees at City Civil Court, Ahmedabad and the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Ahmedabad.
Therefore, the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System, LADCS being a mechanism which substitutes the existing Assigned Counsel System of delivery of Legal Aid for providing free and competent legal aid to needy litigants in the criminal cases, as it has been stated by the Gujarat Legal Services Authority, GLSA in the press release.
Therefore, in the case NALSA also framed the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System which involves a full time which involves a full time engagement of lawyers with a support system and the said unit deals exclusively with legal aid work in criminal matters which being either in the district or at the headquarters which being either in the district or at the headquarters, wherein the court also confined the case before the Sessions, but the same has been expanded to Magistrate Courts with lawyers who are engaged not allowed to take any private cases.
Therefore, the office of Legal Aid Defense Counsel is being based on -layer system consisting of Chief Legal Aid Defense Counsel, the Deputy Legal Aid Defense Counsel and the Assistant Legal Aid Defense Counsel who will be paid remuneration and the same being towards the services which are rendered being by them.
As per the GLSA, the system would also increase of the accessibility and the availability and for the of Legal Aid Defense Counsel, effective and for the efficient representation by them, which being timely and is effective client consultation, enhance responsiveness which leads to updating of legal aid seekers, and for unaccountability on the part of legal aid providers.
