The District Legal Services Authority in Vijayanagara has commenced operations to provide free legal aid and promote dispute resolution for marginalized communities. Karnataka High Court Judge Justice Pradeep Singh Yerur, who is also the administrative judge for Vijayanagara district, stated that the authority will take free legal aid to the doorsteps of the poor and promote amicable settlement of disputes before they reach courts. The newly constituted authority, which was inaugurated at the Principal District and Sessions Court complex in Hospet, aims to provide speedy, free, and accessible legal services to the public, particularly economically weaker and marginalized sections of society.
Justice Yerur noted that the establishment of a separate legal services authority for the district marks a significant step towards ensuring quicker access to justice. He emphasized that legal services for the region were earlier administered from the undivided Ballari district, and the new authority will enable people in Vijayanagara district to avail themselves of legal assistance more conveniently. The authority has empanelled more than 64 advocates and para-legal volunteers to provide free legal aid, legal advice, and assistance to eligible persons. Justice Yerur stressed the need to make justice accessible to the last person in society, particularly in a district with a sizeable population of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward communities, farmers, and labourers, for whom prolonged litigation could be financially burdensome.
Deputy Commissioner Kavitha S. Mannikeri urged the public, particularly socially and economically disadvantaged sections, to make full use of the services offered by the authority. Principal District and Sessions Judge K.M. Rajashekhar, Senior Civil Judge and member-secretary of the District Legal Services Authority N. Subramanya, member-secretary of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority H. Shashidhar Shetty, District Bar Association president Gujjala Nagaraj, Superintendent of Police S. Jahnavi, judicial officers, and members of the bar were present at the inauguration. The authority will also conduct awareness programmes on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and participate in the State-wide plantation drive aimed at planting five crore saplings.