HALSA Launches Two Major Initiatives to Strengthen Access to Justice and to facilitate redressal of grievances of Persons with Disabilities

Chandigarh, 2 September- In a significant step towards making justice more accessible, inclusive and citizen-centric, Justice Deepak Sibal, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman, Haryana State Legal Services Authority (HALSA), today launched two major initiatives “Nyay Mitra – Justice at Your Doorstep” and an Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Complaint Redressal, Legal Aid and Protection of Persons with Disabilities, including Prisoners with Disabilities. The two initiatives reaffirm HALSA’s commitment to the vision of “Access to Justice for All” by taking legal services closer to citizens and strengthening institutional mechanisms for protection of vulnerable persons.

Under “Nyay Mitra – Justice at Your Doorstep”, Justice Deepak Sibal flagged off four Mobile Legal Services Vans, conceived as mobile extensions of Legal Services Institutions to provide last-mile access to justice. The vehicles will operate as Mobile Legal Services Clinics through planned ‘Justice Circuits’ covering the entire State.  Special focus will be given to remote and difficult-to-access villages, rural areas, aspirational blocks, industrial clusters, educational institutions and other underserved areas.

The Mobile Legal Services Vans will provide citizens with free legal aid, legal guidance, pre-litigation counselling, assistance in victim compensation claims, ADR services, Tele-Law consultations and assistance in accessing welfare schemes. They will also undertake legal awareness and legal literacy activities, particularly for women, children, senior citizens, industrial workers and other vulnerable sections. The mobile teams will be supported by Panel Advocates, Para Legal Volunteers and other stakeholders, to ensure effective assistance as well as follow-up.

On the same occasion, Justice Deepak Sibal launched an SOP for Complaint Redressal, Legal Aid and Protection of Persons with Disabilities, including Prisoners with Disabilities, aimed at establishing a uniform, accessible, rights-based and accountable mechanism for addressing complaints relating to abuse, violence and exploitation. The SOP gives practical effect to Section 7 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and seeks to ensure that such complaints are treated as matters involving statutory rights rather than being trivialised as private or interpersonal or family disputes. It emphasises free and timely legal aid, institutional coordination and sustained legal awareness and capacity-building.

                   A key feature of the SOP is the constitution of a district-level Core Team for Legal Aid to Persons with Disabilities, comprising the Secretary, DLSA and representatives of the District Administration, Police, Jail, Social Welfare and Health Departments, along with disability rights experts, Public Prosecutors, Panel Advocates and Para Legal Volunteers. The Core Team will facilitate complaint redressal, legal aid, awareness and outreach, prison visits, monitoring of accessibility and protection measures, and rehabilitation and social reintegration. Complaints may be made by the aggrieved person, caregivers, representatives, NGOs or any person having knowledge of abuse or exploitation, while DLSAs and HALSA may also take suo-motu cognisance. Complaints cannot be rejected merely due to informality, lack of documentation or communication barriers, and no fee is to be charged at any stage.

                   The SOP further incorporates special safeguards for prisoners with disabilities, including identification of disabilities, strengthening of Jail Legal Aid Clinics, accessible prison infrastructure, appropriate medical care and assistive devices, regular legal counselling and representation, periodic prison visits, accessible communication and reasonable accommodation. It also envisages sensitisation and capacity-building of all stakeholders including Judges, Panel Advocates, Police Officials, prison staff and Para Legal Volunteers, along with greater coordination among Legal Services Institutions, Police, Prison Administration, Social Welfare, Health, Women & Child Departments and disability rights organisations.

                   The launch of these two initiatives marks an important institutional commitment of HALSA towards ensuring that distance, lack of awareness or disability does not become a barrier to justice. While Nyay Mitra seeks to take legal services directly to the doorsteps of citizens, the rights-based SOP strengthens the protection and grievance redressal framework for Persons with Disabilities.  Justice Deepak Sibal called upon all the stakeholders to work collectively towards creating an environment where every citizen and every person with disability is heard, protected and empowered, thereby advancing the vision of “Access to Justice for All.”