SUPREME
COURT LEGAL SERVICES COMMITTEE (SCLSC) - POLITY
News:
Justice Gavai nominated
as SC Legal Services Committee Chairman
What's
in the news?
●
Supreme
Court judge Justice BR Gavai has been nominated as
the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC), replacing
Justice Sanjiv Khanna – the seniormost judge of the top court after the Chief
Justice of India (CJI).
Supreme
Court Legal Service Committee (SCLSC):
●
SCSLC has been constituted by National
Legal Services Authority (NALSA) under the provisions of Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.
Objective:
●
The SCSLC was constituted to provide free and competent legal services
to the weaker sections of society in cases falling under the jurisdiction
of the top court.
Membership
of SCSLC:
SCSLC shall consist of a Chairman, Secretary and not more than 9
members:
●
Chairman:
Chairman shall be a sitting judge of the
Supreme Court.
●
Secretary:
To
be appointed by CJI in accordance with rules and qualifications laid down by
the central government.
●
Ex
officio members:
○
Attorney General for India.
○
Joint Secretary, Department of Justice,
Ministry of Law and Justice.
○
Additional Secretary, Department of
Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, or his nominee.
○
Registrar General of the SC.
●
Other
members: Other members shall be appointed by central
government in consultation with CJI who are:
○
Eminent person in the field of law.
○
Person of repute who is specially
interested in implementation of Legal Service Scheme.
○
Eminent social workers engaged in the
upliftment of weaker sections like SCs, STs, women, children and labour.
Functions
of SCSLC:
●
To administer and implement the legal services programme in so far as
it relates to the Supreme Court of India and for this purpose take all such
steps as may be necessary and to act in accordance with the directions issued
by the Central Authority from time to time.
●
To conduct
Lok Adalat in the Supreme Court from time to time under the aegis of the
National Legal Services Authority and different categories of matters which are
pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court
●
To receive and scrutinize applications for
legal services and to decide all questions as to the grant of or withdrawal of
legal service.
●
To maintain panels of advocates on record
and of senior advocates in the Supreme Court for giving the legal advice.
●
To decide all matters relating to payment
of honorarium, costs, charges, and expenses of legal services to the advocates
on record and to senior advocates of the Supreme Court.
●
To prepare and submit returns, report and
statistical information in regard to the legal services programme to the
Central Authority.