Syllabus

GS2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. 

Context: As many as 14,888 women have registered till June 30 on the Nyaya Bandhu App for legal assistance related to civil and criminal laws. 

More on the News 

• At present, there are 9261 advocates who have volunteered and registered on the Nyaya Bandhu platform.  

• Till 30th June, 2025, approximately, 14888 women beneficiaries have registered under the Nyaya Bandhu App, seeking legal assistance related to civil and criminal laws, including Women and Child safety, Family and Matrimonial disputes, Domestic Violence, Property Disputes, Workplace Harassment, etc.

Nyaya Bandhu

• The Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Service) launched in 2017 is one of the programmes under the scheme of “Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice” (DISHA), which is being implemented by the Department of Justice. 

• The Nyaya Bandhu program registers interested Pro Bono Advocates and connects them with the beneficiaries, who are entitled for free legal aid under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987, through the Nyaya Bandhu Application. 

• Pro Bono Clubs:

• A panel of Pro Bono Advocates has been constituted in 23 High Courts to strengthen the institutional mechanism for delivering pro bono legal services to the beneficiary. 
• To instil the spirit of pro bono work among law students and nurture a long-term commitment to legal service, Pro Bono Clubs have been constituted across 109 law colleges in the country.
• To strengthen Nyaya Bandhu in remote areas, Law School Pro Bono Clubs help provide legal aid, awareness, and community support in villages, promoting sustained nationwide participation.

• In order to broaden the outreach of Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services), a dedicated portal on Nyaya Bandhu is available for the citizens in 22 scheduled languages of the country. 

DISHA Scheme

• The Department of Justice has introduced a Scheme on Access to Justice titled “Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice” for a period of five years (2021-2026). 

• It aims to secure “Justice” to the people of India as enunciated in the Preamble and under Articles 39A, 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India. 

• It widens the outreach of its Tele-Law, Pro Bono Legal Services (Nyaya Bandhu), and Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness programmes both qualitatively and quantitatively. 

• It further aims to create awareness and dissemination through the use of technology and developing simplified Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material for the masses.

Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987

• In 1987, the Legal Services Authorities Act was enacted by the Parliament, which came into force on 9th November, 1995, to establish a nationwide uniform network for providing free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of society on the basis of equal opportunity. 

• The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, to monitor and evaluate the implementation of legal aid programmes and to lay down policies and principles for making legal services available under the Act.

Source: 

https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/over-14800-women-registered-for-legal-help-via-nyaya-bandhu-app-till-june-30-centre-tells-rajya-sabha

https://www.probono-doj.in/services-scheme.html

https://doj.gov.in/designing-innovative-solutions-for-holistic-access-to-justice-disha/

https://doj.gov.in/access-to-justice-for-the-marginalized/