Nagpur: National Legal Services Authority (NLSA) has important role in providing justice to general people and its role should be transparent at Central, State and local level. There is need of complete improvements in prison management in country, opined chairman of parliamentarian standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice (2014-15) Dr Dr E M Sudarsana Natchiappan here.
After inspecting working pattern of Legal Aid Services Authority formed in Nagpur Central Prison, committee members interacted with media persons at a city hotel on Sunday. On the occasion, committee members Member of Parliament K T S Tulsi, Member of Parliament Varaprasad Rao Velagapalli, Member of Parliament Adv Joice George and joint secretary of Rajya Sabha K P Singh were present.
To provide legal services to all types of prisoners in prison management, committee members met with members of National Legal Services Authority, member secretaries of state and district level legal services, prison superintendent, lawyers of defence parties.
148 cr for aid for common people
As per demand of Union ministry of law and judiciary ministry to provide free legal aid to general people, Parliament has approved funds of 148 crore. The committee will soon submit report to Parliament for bringing out transparency in present prison management in view of human rights, said Dr E M Natchiappan. He stated that committee was of the opinion that prisoner irrespective of his or her category should get legal aid.
The committee members also met senior officials of public sector undertakings in Nagpur like Western Coalfields Limited, Container Corporation of India, Mineral Exploration Corporation of India and Manganese Ore India Limited. Similarly, Parliamentarian Committee members also held discussions on National Legal Aid Services Authority’s role in judicial cooperation and implementation of provisions of Advocates Act, 1961 with office bearers of Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, lawyers’ organizations, Bar Council and representatives of State government.
Plaints should be minimum
The committee is interacting with departments of public sector undertakings and stress is being on a system should be developed in these undertakings to ensure that there should be minimum number of complaints, said Dr E M Natchiappan.
