JHALSA gift for 3.48 lakh people in Dumka

Around one fourth of the population of Dumka (13.21 lakh), the Santhal heartland, reaped the benefits of various welfare and development programmes, run by the Centre as well as the State Government, on Saturday.

The Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) could made it possible with the support from the district administration at a legal empowerment camp held in Dumka, and inaugurated by Acting Chief Justice cum JHALSA Executive Chairman Justice DN Patel.

Justice Patel along with Justice HC Mishra and Justice AK Chaudhary distributed assets worth Rs 35.16 crore among 3.48 lakh people, mostly tribals from across the district in the camp.

It was the fourth legal empowerment camp in the State after it was earlier held in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Gumla following a

directive from Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), in January last.

Speaking on the occasion, Justice Patel, who has pursued the legal services with missionary zeal, said legal services should not remain limited to creating awareness among the citizens towards their rights but also educate the weaker sections of the society to draw benefits under various schemes.

He called upon people to assert for their rights with the support of the district legal services authority (DLSA).

He said people believe that the services of legal service authorities are limited to providing merely legal aid to citizens. “In fact, to give a man his due as per law is legal services,” he maintained.

Justice Patel congratulating the beneficiaries said that JHALSA had carried awareness drive with regard to the camp with the help of tribal para legal volunteers (PLVs) due to which people in large numbers have benefitted from it.

Earlier, the acting Chief Justice, after inaugurating the Nyaya Sadan building in the civil court premises, asked the judges to refer ‘proper’ cases for mediation following an appropriate procedure.

He also asked the DLSA to pay honorarium to the mediators and panel lawyers in time and furnish correct data on legal services.

The JHALSA Executive Chairman also appreciated the mediators for achieving 60 percent success rate in April last, which, he said, was close to the state average.

Dumka Principal District Judge Om Prakash Singh, Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Kumar, SP Kishore Kaushal, JHALSA Member Secretary AK Rai, Dumka Family court judge Nalin Kumar and High Court legal service committee secretary Santosh Kumar were also present on the occasion.