NALSAR University of Law and Landesa with the support of State Legal Services Authority established a Land Rights Legal Aid Clinic at Nyaya Seva Sadan, District Court, Warangal on March 3, 2013. This Legal Aid Clinic is aimed to provide free legal services to the poor and needy, creating awareness among the people about their rights and helping the litigants in all possible ways. In last three years, theClinic provided legal advice to 538 persons with land problems and helped them in getting their land problems resolved. The Clinic organized land legal literacy programmes in about thirty villages in Warangal District and created awareness on land rights, records and procedures for getting the land problems resolved. Until now, about ten thousand rural people reached through the legal awareness meetings organized in the villages. Land Rights Legal Aid Clinic with the support of District Legal Services Authority organized training programmes on land matters to various stakeholders including paralegal volunteers, SHG women, Anganwadi workers, students, police officers, revenue officers, Advocates, media persons and members of civil society organisations. About 3000 people trained until now through the Land Clinic.
Sub-Divisional Land Centres and Village Land Clinics
In extension of the activities of the Land Rights Legal Aid Clinic, Landesa and NALSAR established two sub-district level Land Centres at Jangaon and Narsampet in Warangal District. Team of thirty paralegals, community resource persons and lawyers are working in six selected villages and providing legal assistance to the poor and needy on land matters. In all the six selected villages, land legal aid clinics are established.
Community based Land Paralegal Programme
In 2004, to help rural poor families who are landless or lack secure legal rights, the state government launched a community based paralegal programme called land access program as part of the Society of Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) to resolve land problems of the poor. NALSAR University of Law through the Centre for Tribal and Land Rights trained about 500 paralegals. NALSAR also selected and trained all the legal coordinators. Landesa provided technical support in design, implementation and periodical assessment of the programme. Further, Landesa provided training materials to all the paralegals, community surveyors and legal coordinators.
Inaugural Session of the Workshop:
Hon’ble Shri K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana will deliver the inaugural address at the workshop jointly organized by NALSAR and Landesa on “Land Related Legal Services Needs of Poor: Experiences, Expectations and Innovations”. The workshop inaugural will be held at the University campus from 4.10 pm to 5.30 pm on March 19, 2016. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Anil R. Dave, Judge, Supreme Court of India will give presidential address. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dipak Misra, Judge, Supreme Court of India will give the keynote address. Hon’ble Mr. Justice N.V. Ramana, Judge, Supreme Court of India will give special address. Welcome address will be by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dilip B. Bhosale, Acting Chief Justice, High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad & Chancellor, NALSAR University of Law
About the Workshop:
NALSAR University of Law in collaboration with Landesa (Rural Development Institute) is proposing to organise a two-day workshop on “Land Related Legal Services Needs of Poor: Experiences, Expectations and Innovations” from 19-20 March, 2016 at NALSAR University of Law, Justice City, Shameerpet, R. R. District, Hyderabad. This workshop primarily aims at drawing a platform to discuss the findings from the legal needs & bottlenecks study and experience of Land Rights Legal Aid Clinic established at the office of District Legal Services Authority, Warangal, Sub-Divisional Land Centres and Village Land Clinics and Community based Paralegal Programme of SERP. Based on these experiences, the workshop will discuss the models for effective legal services delivery systems for helping the poor in land matters. Workshop will deliberate on these issues-
- Unmet legal needs of the poor: findings from the legal needs and bottlenecks study
- Land Rights Legal Aid Clinic: learning from the first land clinic
- Updating land records through the community-driven Process involving local youth
- Community based paralegal programme: providing facilitation support and free legal assistance to the poor on land matters
- Meeting the land related legal services needs of the poor, SCs, STs and Women: suggested improvements
Inauguration of the Auditorium:
Hon’ble Shri K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana will inaugurate the University Auditorium at 4 pm on March 19, 2016 in the august presence of Hon’ble Mr. Justice Anil R. Dave, Judge, Supreme Court of India, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dipak Misra, Judge, Supreme Court of India, Judge, Supreme Court of India, Hon’ble Mr. Justice N.V. Ramana, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dilip B. Bhosale, Acting Chief Justice, High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad & Chancellor, NALSAR University of Law
