Araria: The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Araria, has disposed of 851 of 928 trial and bail matters through its Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) since the system became operational in Nov 2023, recording a disposal rate of 91%.Launched under the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) initiative on Nov 2, 2023, the system provides free and competent legal assistance to people unable to afford private representation.Between Nov 2023 and Jul 2026, 77 matters remained pending. The team, headed by chief legal aid defence counsel Vinay Kumar Thakur, handles trial and bail matters involving eligible persons.Of the 604 bail applications handled during the period, bail was granted in 431 cases, while 153 were rejected.The initiative has also extended to the district jail through the Legal Services Clinic. The legal-aid team made 448 jail visits, informing prisoners about their legal rights and providing assistance where required.In undertrial prisoner cases, bail was secured in 297 cases involving 40 prisoners, while 285 prisoners received cross-examination assistance.Gunjan Pandey, principal district and sessions judge and chairman of DLSA, Araria, has provided institutional direction to the initiative with emphasis on legal awareness, prison outreach and assistance to undertrial prisoners.
