Legal Aid Defense Counsel System
Also called: LADCS · Topic: Justice Delivery: Subordinate Courts, Tribunals, Legal Aid and Judicial Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) is a NALSA scheme started in 2022. Under it, full-time lawyers defend accused persons who cannot afford a lawyer. It works like a "public defender" office in other countries. Before this, legal aid mostly came from panel lawyers who took cases part-time, and their quality was often poor. LADCS puts into practice the promise of free legal aid in Art. 39A and the courts' rulings that legal aid is part of Art. 21.
Example
An undertrial (a person held in jail while their trial is pending) is too poor to hire a lawyer. A full-time LADCS lawyer in the district can take up their defence, including a bail plea.
Don't confuse with
- Panel lawyers: they are private lawyers who take legal aid cases part-time. LADCS lawyers do this work full-time.
Related concepts
- Free legal aid
- Legal Services Authorities Act 1987
- National Legal Services Authority
- District Legal Services Authority
- Tele-Law
- Victim compensation scheme