Executive Chairman, UT State Legal Services Authority, (UTLSA) Ladakh Justice Ali Mohd. Magray, Senior Judge of the Common High Court of UTs of J&K and Ladakh visited District Court Leh on November 6.

He inaugurated the Retainer/Panel Lawyers, Para Legal Volunteers (PLVs) meet, and training program. The program was jointly organized by UTLSA and District Legal Services Authorities of Ladakh at District Court Complex, Leh. 

Addressing the gathering, Justice Ali Mohd Magrey highlighted the objective behind the enactment of Legal Services Authority Act 1997 and said that PLV’s play an important role in the society for creating legal awareness in respect of constitutional rights in the State, being a link between the legal services institutions and general masses. 

He further stated that legal service authority provides free and competent legal services to the weaker section of the society to ensure their opportunity for securing justice are not deprived to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities. He directed to organize Lok Adalats to secure the operation of the Legal system, promote justice on the basis of equal opportunity. 

He further aware that District Legal Service Authorities (DLSA) have been constituted in each District and Tehsil Legal Services Committee at Tehsil Level to provide Legal Service to members of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, a victim of trafficking in human being or beggar  Woman or Child, mentally ill or otherwise disabled person, a person under circumstances of undeserved want such as being a victim of a mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake/or industrial disaster. He said it is the paramount duty of PLV’s to safeguard the right to education of women so as to ensure that every child irrespective of gender in the villages are identified and persuaded to go to schools all are included in the list of beneficiaries. 

Advocate Mohd Shafi Lassu, President Bar Association Leh highlighted the concerns regarding the difficulties faced by the advocates. 

Justice Ali Mohd asked the advocates of the Bar Leh to work hard and compete with the best of the lawyers of the country to achieve the epitome of the profession with the aim to appear before the highest court of the state as well as before the Supreme Court. He also took up the important grievances of the advocates on the spot and assured the bar members that all the rest of the grievances shall be taken up at the earliest.  

Advocated Sonam Paljor, Vice president of the Bar Leh said that the visit of the Justice to the district Court Leh has been a source of inspiration for all the young advocates and thanked him for visiting Ladakh for the inauguration of the Union territory of Ladakh Legal Services Authority.