Bandipora, May 27: District Legal Services Authority Bandipora on Tuesday held a Monitoring and Mentoring Committee meeting under Regulation 11 of the NALSA (Free & Competent Legal Aid) Regulations, 2010 to review the performance of panel lawyers and streamline legal aid services for the poor and underprivileged.
The meeting took place at the office chamber of Principal District & Sessions Judge Bandipora, who also serves as the Chairman of DLSA. It was chaired by Mr Khalil Ahmad Choudhary and attended by Mr Sheikh Babar Hussain, Secretary DLSA Bandipora, and Advocate Sofi Feroz. The committee examined several pending cases, issued guidance to panel lawyers, and stressed on maintaining professionalism and regular client communication.
The committee expressed satisfaction over the pace of legal aid delivery but emphasized the need for continued dedication in representing the underprivileged. It was decided that all legal aid cases pending with former panel lawyers will be withdrawn and reassigned equally among current panel lawyers. The Secretary DLSA has been asked to implement this immediately, with remuneration adjustments made according to existing rules.
Taking note of absenteeism and lack of updates by some panel lawyers, the committee instructed the Secretary to seek explanations from those who neither attended the meeting nor submitted regular case progress reports to the DLSA office. The panel lawyers present at the meeting also raised the issue of pending remuneration for assigned cases, as well as non-payment for serving as resource persons during legal awareness programs. Responding to this, the Secretary informed that the matter has already been taken up with the Member Secretary of J&K Legal Services Authority and would be pursued further. The committee also assured the lawyers that their concerns would be duly forwarded.
The committee further resolved that legal aid cases will be assigned fairly to all panel lawyers, ensuring equal distribution of workload and complete transparency. Additionally, panel lawyers have been instructed to update the proceedings of their assigned cases on the LSMS/LSCMS portal on a daily basis.
Concluding the meeting, the committee reiterated its commitment to strengthening legal aid delivery in Bandipora. The next Monitoring and Mentoring Committee meeting will be held in August 2025 to assess further progress and review the functioning of panel lawyers based on updated records.
