Kerala - Kochi   

Government accepts Kelsa proposal

Kochi: Executive chairman of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (Kelsa) and senior High Court Judge J.B. Koshy on Friday said that the State government had in principle agreed to exempt persons with annual income of less than Rs.50,000 from paying court fee.

At a press conference, he said that Kelsa had taken measures to see that HIV-positive persons were not discriminated at courts. The authority was imparting training to judicial officers through the judicial academy in this regard.

The authority was also giving free legal aid to persons who were cured of mental illness but still kept in hospitals. The chairman said that a legal aid counsel’s panel had been published in magistrate courts and police stations.

The government had issued orders to the Police Department to allow legal aid counsel to visit police stations and jails for enquiring about the details and documents relating to undertrial prisoners and those in custody. He said that free legal aid was being given to persons whose annual income was below Rs.25,000 for prosecuting cases.

A 24-hour legal helpline was working effectively. Those who were in urgent need of legal advice could contact the helpline 9846700100.

The new projects of Kelsa- legal literacy clubs for law college students and para-legal volunteers (PLVs)- would be launched in Kottayam on January 12.

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