Have you suffered any loss in hartals held in the past three years?
Then, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) will fight your legal battle for compensation, as it has come up with a novel initiative to extend free legal aid to the people affected by hartals.
The project will be rolled out from DLSA offices attached to courts in all seven taluks in the district for which a helpline has already been set up.
“The frequency of hartals has become unbearable for the public. It is only appropriate therefore to help people who’ve suffered hartal-related loss to seek compensation, in compliance with an apex court verdict, from whoever held the hartal or inflicted the loss,” A.M. Basheer, sub judge and DLSA secretary, told The Hindu.
Shops and establishments forcibly closed on hartal days are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries of the initiative as the police protection assured for their normal functioning had often been found inadequate. The free legal aid will be available to those with an annual income not exceeding ₹3 lakh while the income cap will not be applicable to women.
The idea is to file civil suit, which will elicit a decree for compensation. If flouted, this will invite imprisonment. The loss will be assessed based on the average income in the days immediately before and after the hartal, Mr. Basheer said.
“Since the cases proposed are civil in nature, petitioners need not turn up in the court till the day of trial. The panel of lawyers of DLSA will appear before the court up to that point. Those who want to avail of the service may contact the taluk legal service authority concerned in the following numbers: Kanayannur — 9495159584, Muvattupuzha — 0485-2837733, North Paravur — 0484-2446970, Aluva — 8304845219, Kochi — 8330810100, Kothamangalam — 8304859290 and Kunnathunadu — 8304832564.