Question : Tele Law Mobile App

(a) whether the Tele-Law mobile app launched with the objective of providing/ensuring legal information to the people and empower them to access dispute redressal from the respected forum has been able to penetrate the rural population and, if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether any alternative to Mobile App like regular voice call facility that is currently available for providing this service, since access to smart phones may not be available to the entire rural population especially the elderly and, if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has taken any initiatives to create awareness about the benefits and operations of this app among public; and
(d) if so, the details thereof along with the actions taken by the Government to ensure free legal aid under Section 12 of Legal Service Authority?

The MINISTER OF LAW & JUSTICE
(SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)


(a) to (c) Yes, Sir.The Citizens’ Tele-Law Mobile App,launched recently, enables the individual beneficiary to access pre-litigation advice and hold consultation directly with the Panel Lawyer, free of cost. This App is available in 6 languages viz English, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu on both Android and iOS platform.The total number of Mobile App downloads till date is 35,257 and 1,79,339 advice enabled through the Mobile App to beneficiaries including rural population.
This method of direct consultation through smart phone based App supplements the already-existing assisted model of seeking legal advice available at Common Service Centres (CSCs) at the Panchayat level which connects individual beneficiaries with Panel Lawyers via telephonic and video conferencing facilities, available at these CSCs. Tele-Law is presently operational in 669 Districts across 36 States/UTs covering 75,000 Gram Panchayats. The service at CSCs is free for persons entitled under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 and for others at Rs.30/- per consultation. Tele-Law has enabled advice to more than 14.89 lakh beneficiaries till 28th February, 2022.
The Government launched the “Tele-Law on Wheels”campaign from 8thto 14thNovember,2021creating awareness about the Mobile App reaching out to nearly 52,000 participants. In addition, 4,250 awareness and community mobilization sessions were also conducted across the country. Telecast of promotional video of the Citizens’ Tele-Law Mobile App has been made on Doordarshan (DD) channels. Awareness about the Citizens’ Tele-Law Mobile App has also been spread through social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtubeand Koo.E-tutorials and user manuals for the application has been made available on the Tele-Law website (https://www.tele-law.in).
(d) The Government has undertaken several measures to make available affordable, quality and speedy justice to the common man. The Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 provides free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society including beneficiaries covered under Section 12 of the Act to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize LokAdalats to secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunities.
For this purpose, the legal services institutions have been set up from the Taluk Court levels to the Supreme Court. During the period from April, 2021 to January, 2022, 62.21 lakhs persons have been provided with free legal services and 133.27 lakhs cases (pending in courts and disputes at pre-litigation stage) have been settled through LokAdalats/e-LokAdalats. Legal Aid Clinics have also been set up in jails, observation homes, juvenile justice boards which are manned by panel lawyers and para legal volunteers of legal services authorities. Further, to enable equitable access to justice, National Legal Services Authorities (NALSA) has also launched Legal Services Mobile App on Android and iOS Version to enable easy access to legal aid to common citizens.
In addition, the Government has launched Nyaya Bandhu (Pro-bono Legal Services) programme to link the persons eligible to avail free legal aid under Section 12 of LSA Act, 1987 with the pro-bono lawyers. 3989 pro bono advocates have been registered under the programme and 1552 cases have been registered by the beneficiaries till 28th February, 2022.
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