Legal Services Clinic
The Legal Services Clinic of Ramaiah College of Law is established as per the statutory mandate of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, National Legal Services Authority (Legal Services Clinics) Regulation, 2011, and Rules of Legal Education, 2008 framed by the Bar Council of India. Formerly, the activities of the Clinic were carried on by the Legal Aid Cell, which was established in 2006, and the same is revamped as per the Standard Operating Procedure of Karnataka State Legal Services Authority issued in 2021. The Clinic functions with the twin-fold objectives of providing probono services to the needy and marginalized sections of society and to hone the skills of the students by exposing them to social-legal problems. In this regard, the Clinic aims to organise Legal literacy and training programmes; and to provide free legal aid to the needy-beneficiary with the assistance of a panel member and the Legal Services Institutions.
The Clinic offers on-campus and online legal services to the needy beneficiary. All those categories of persons as enumerated under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 are entitled to avail free legal aid. The beneficiaries can avail the legal services either by visiting the Clinic personally or by submitting an online application.
The Clinic offers the following services:
- Free legal aid in pending litigation matters by way of providing an advocate.
- Consultation on legal matters.
- Assistance in the preparation of pleadings, memos of appeal, drafting of legal documents, and special leave petitions.
- Mediation of pre-litigation case.
- Para-legal aid services.
The following persons are entitled to avail free legal aid as per Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987:
- Member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
- Victim of trafficking in human beings or beggars as referred in article 23 of the Constitution.
- Woman or a child.
- Disabled person.
- Victim of a mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake or industrial disaster;
- An industrial workman.
- Persons in custody.
- Any person whose annual income is less than rupees one lakh, if the case is before a court other than the Supreme Court, and less than rupees five lakhs, if the case is before the Supreme Court.
Kannada Tutorial for filling the Free Legal Aid Application form
A beneficiary can reach out to the Clinic for availing of a free legal service:
- By submitting a written application in person.
- By sending an email to lsc@msrcl.org.
- Over a phone call (080- 23608230).
- Online application
- Upon receiving the application, the Clinic will reach out to the applicant within seven working days.
- The Clinic will provide the necessary legal assistance to the applicant through their preferred mode with the assistance of the Panel Advocate or the Legal Services Institution.