The Gujarat government has raised the income limit for free legal aid from 1 lakh to 3 lakh, making more people from economically weaker and lower-middle-class backgrounds eligible for support.
The decision was made during a state cabinet meeting held in Gandhinagar, chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
Gujarat spokesperson Minister Rushikesh Patel stated that under the Constitution of India, free and competent legal aid is considered a right of every citizen. To ensure that the weaker sections of Gujarat receive rightful access to legal services, the state government has taken this important step to increase the income limit to 3 lakh.
“In order to ensure that the maximum number of citizens from the weaker sections in the state can benefit from free and competent legal services, this provision has once again been amended,” said Patel.
Who is eligible for free legal aid?
As per the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority was established under the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority Act, 1997. According to Section 12 of this law, free legal aid is provided to individuals belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women, children, persons with disabilities, industrial workers, and others whose income falls below the prescribed limit.
In response to rising inflation, the state government had amended Rule 20 in 2012 to raise the income limit for free legal aid to 1 lakh. Now, the government has revised this rule again and increased the limit to 3 lakh, following a recent decision in a cabinet meeting.