Miscellaneous Scheme under Ministry of Law and Justice

Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services Scheme)

• Aim: To enhance “access to justice” for marginalized sections of society and to fulfill the State’s constitutional obligation of providing free legal aid to all.
• What it does:
  • Connects volunteer advocates (pro bono lawyers) with individuals or organizations that cannot afford legal services.
  • Operates mainly through the Nyaya Bandhu Mobile App where legal aid seekers can directly reach out to these lawyers.
• Key Features:
  • Pro Bono legal advice: Advocates voluntarily provide legal assistance.
  • Eligibility of advocates: Must have a valid practicing license from a State Bar Council and submit their enrollment number and certificate on the app.

✅ Significance: Helps the poor and marginalized access justice, reduces inequality in the justice system, and creates a network of socially responsible lawyers.

Nyaya Mitra Scheme

• Background: Launched in 2017 under the broader “Access to Justice” scheme.
• Aim: To increase access to justice for marginalized people by ensuring speedy disposal of long-pending cases.
• Focus: Addresses 10–15 year old pending cases in High Courts and Subordinate Courts.
• Key Roles of Nyaya Mitra:
  • Prepare detailed lists of 10-year-old pending cases.
  • Conduct critical analysis of these cases.
  • Coordinate with State/District authorities.
  • Identify cases for settlement through Lok Adalat.
  • Ensure follow-up action and other related activities.
• Eligibility to become a Nyaya Mitra:
  • Must be a local resident.
  • Could be a retired judicial officer or a retired executive officer.
  • Should meet a specified pay scale requirement.
  • Can apply for only one district (otherwise, the application is rejected).

✅ Significance: Reduces backlog in courts, speeds up justice delivery, and contributes to the digital transformation of India’s legal system.

Tele-Law Scheme

• Aim: To ensure delivery of legal advice to citizens, especially in rural areas, through a panel of lawyers.
• How it works:
  • Rural citizens seeking legal advice connect with lawyers via video conferencing at Common Service Centres (CSCs) located in identified Gram Panchayats.
  • Lawyers are stationed at CSC SPV offices and State Legal Services Authorities (SLSA).
• Role of Para Legal Volunteers (PLVs):
  • They spread awareness about the scheme in villages.
  • Identify citizens/cases needing legal advice.
  • Eligibility: Must have passed 10th standard and belong to the same Panchayat.
• Charges:
  • Services are free for marginalized sections.
  • Others pay a nominal fee of ₹30.

✅ Significance: Bridges the rural–urban divide in access to justice, making legal advice available at the doorstep of citizens.

Legal Information Management & Briefing System (LIMBS) – Version 2

• Background: Launched in 2020 in collaboration with NIC as an upgraded version of the earlier LIMBS.
• Nature: A dashboard-based system for handling government litigation.
• Key Features:
  • Provides a single digital platform for all stakeholders (users, nodal officers, advocates, ministries, departments).
  • Helps track pending legal matters at a glance.
  • Brings uniformity in administrative norms.
  • Maintains audit trails for transparency and accountability.
  • Facilitates timely management of litigation, reducing unnecessary delays.

✅ Significance: Strengthens the government’s capacity to handle court cases efficiently and reduces the burden of pending litigations.

Enforcing Contracts Portal

• Aim: To improve Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) by strengthening the Contract Enforcement Regime in India.
• Key Features:
  • Provides easy access to up-to-date information on commercial cases.
  • Covers dedicated Commercial Courts in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata.
  • Offers a repository of commercial laws for quick reference.

✅ Significance: Improves transparency, strengthens business confidence, and aligns India’s legal framework with global standards for contract enforcement.

Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for the Judiciary

• Background: Started in 1993-94, this scheme focuses on transforming judicial infrastructure at the District and Subordinate Court level.
• Ministry: Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice.
• Objective:
  • To help State Governments construct court buildings and residential quarters for Judicial Officers (JOs) across all States and Union Territories.
• Tenure: Extended till 2026.
• Fund Sharing Pattern:
  • 60:40 → Centre:State (for most States),
  • 90:10 → For 8 North-Eastern States & 2 Himalayan States,
  • 100% Central funding → For Union Territories.

✅ Significance: Strengthens judicial infrastructure, ensuring better working and living conditions for judges, which indirectly improves the efficiency of justice delivery.

Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) Scheme

• Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• Purpose: Enhancing the safety and security of women and children by ensuring speedy justice in cases of sexual offences.
• Funding: Central share is met from the Nirbhaya Fund.
• Objectives:
  • To set up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) for quick disposal of rape cases.
  • To establish POCSO Courts exclusively for protection of children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act).
• Composition of Court:
  • Each FTSC has 1 Judicial Officer + 7 Staff Members.
  • Out of 31 States/UTs eligible, 30 have already joined.
• Nodal Ministry for Nirbhaya Fund: Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD).
• Tenure: Extended for 3 years beyond 2023, i.e., till March 2026.

✅ Significance: Ensures speedy trial in sensitive cases, strengthens protection of women and children, and helps reduce judicial pendency in sexual offence cases.

E-Courts Mission Mode Project

• Purpose: To modernize the Indian judiciary by using Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
• Collaborative Approach: Implemented in collaboration with the Supreme Court’s e-Committee.
• Tenure:
  • Phase I: 2011–2015
  • Phase II: 2015–2023
  • Phase III: 2023–2027 (currently ongoing).
• Key Features of Phase III:
  • Scanning, digitization, and digital preservation of case records.
  • Cloud infrastructure for case management.
  • Establishment of more virtual courts.
  • E-sewa kendras to assist citizens.
  • Additional ICT infrastructure and hardware support in courts.

✅ Significance: Brings transparency, efficiency, and accessibility to the judicial system. It is a giant leap towards democratizing the judiciary, making court services available to citizens online.