Bandipora, May 27: The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) Bandipora on Tuesday held a meeting of the Monitoring and Mentoring Committee under Regulation 11 of the NALSA (Free and Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010, to assess and enhance the quality of legal aid being provided by panel lawyers to marginalized sections of society.
The meeting was chaired by Mr. Khalil Ahmad Choudhary, Principal District and Sessions Judge and Chairman DLSA Bandipora. Mr. Sheikh Babar Hussain, Secretary DLSA Bandipora, and Advocate Sofi Feroz, member of the committee, also attended the meeting.
The committee examined several legal aid cases and provided recommendations to improve case management and client communication. Panel lawyers were urged to maintain professionalism, punctuality, and a strong sense of social responsibility in discharging their duties in courts including revenue courts across the district.
The committee expressed satisfaction with the progress of cases handled by current panel lawyers and emphasized the need for continued sincerity and competence in offering free legal services. It was decided that all pending legal aid cases previously assigned to ex-panel lawyers would be withdrawn and reassigned to the current panel, with payments adjusted as per rules.
To address the issue of absenteeism, the Secretary was directed to seek explanations from panel lawyers who failed to attend the meeting or regularly update the status of assigned cases. Lawyers were also reminded to update proceedings on the LSMS/LSCMS portal on a daily basis.
Panel lawyers raised concerns regarding the delay in release of remuneration for assigned cases and non-payment for serving as resource persons in awareness programs. The Secretary informed the meeting that the matter had already been taken up with the Member Secretary, J&K Legal Services Authority, and assured that the concerns would be forwarded for redressal.
The committee further resolved that case assignments would be equally distributed among panel lawyers and all distributions would be properly documented to ensure transparency.
The meeting concluded with a commitment to improve legal aid service delivery, and it was decided that the next Monitoring and Mentoring Committee meeting would be held in August 2025 to review further progress.
