In a significant judgment made by the Delhi High Court in India, the Paralegal Volunteers (PLVs) will offer legal aid and support for missing children cases and offenses against children. On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court, consisting of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup Jairam Bhambhani, ordered all relevant parties to consider ways to broaden the implementation of the Delhi State Legal Services Authority’s (DSLSA) scheme for the appointment of PLVs in all police stations in Delhi.
Judgment will benefit in securing children’s rights
The judgment would benefit in securing the rights of children, whose kin cannot afford and pay for legal assistance. It is a major step towards securing child rights and securing the future of the country. Earlier, a large segment of society was denied their legal rights, especially in cases related to offenses against children. This was not only a threat to the children’s rights but also encouraged the anti-social elements to target the young ones.
Legal Services Authorities ordered to create PLV schemes
The DSLSA scheme was first introduced as a pilot project in 50 sensitive police stations in Delhi. The court also acknowledged the directives issued by the Supreme Court in the Bachpan Bachao Andolan vs. Union of India case last year, which instructed all state and union territory Legal Services Authorities to create PLV schemes based on the DSLSA’s model.
Pilot project to become regular feature
On Tuesday, Delhi Government, Delhi Police, and DSLSA assured the court through their counsels that the pilot project will become a regular scheme due to the Supreme Court’s directives. The court instructed the parties to take steps to expand the PLV scheme in all police stations in Delhi and asked for reports on any challenges that may arise.
On January 30, DSLSA submitted a comprehensive plan for the PLV scheme implementation to the court, and the Delhi government asked for a budgetary requirement for disbursal through their counsel. The case will be heard again on February 24.
