Tele-Law Programme

May 31, 2023

Recently, The Ministry of Law informed that the Tele-Law programme achieved a new milestone with 40 lakh beneficiaries across the country empowered with pre-litigation advice.

About Tele-Law Programme:

  • The Tele-Law programme comes under the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice and was launched in 2017.
  • It is an e-interface mechanism to seek legal advice and consultation at a pre-litigation stage with the aim of ‘Reaching the Unreached’.
  • The programme connects needy and marginalised people in need of legal aid with the Panel Lawyers via video conferencing/telephonic facilities available at Common Service Centres (CSCs) situated at the panchayat level. In addition, the service can also be accessed through the Tele-Law Mobile App.
    • A Panel Lawyer is a practicing advocate selected by the Department of Justice and CSC-eGovernance Services or registered on the Panel of State /District Legal Services Authority.
  • Eligibility: Legal advice is made available to everyone under Tele-Law service. Advice is free of Cost to those who are eligible for free legal aid under Section 12 of LSA Act, 1987.
    • Women
    • Children
    • Persons belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
    • Victims of Trafficking
    • Mentally ill and differently-abled people
    • Victims of natural disaster/ethnic violence
    • Workers in unorganized sector/industrial workers
    • Undertrials
    • People of low-income group
    • For all others, a nominal fee of Rs. 30/- is charged for each consultation.
  • Kind of cases/matters: Legal matters in which advice can be taken through Tele-Law service include:
    • Dowry, family dispute, divorce, protection from domestic violence
    • Sexual harassment, sexual abuse, eve teasing at the workplace
    • Maintenance of women children and senior citizens
    • Rights regarding property and land
    • Equal wages for males and females
    • Maternity benefits and prevention of foeticide.
    • Atrocities against scheduled castes/ scheduled tribes and their rehabilitation.