GS Paper II — Q2
Who are entitled to receive free legal aid? Assess the role of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in rendering free…
Who are entitled to receive free legal aid? Assess the role of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in rendering free legal aid in India. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
निःशुल्क कानूनी सहायता प्राप्त करने के हकदार कौन हैं? निःशुल्क कानूनी सहायता के प्रतिपादन में राष्ट्रीय विधि सेवा प्राधिकरण (एन.ए.एल.एस.ए.) की भूमिका का आकलन कीजिए। (150 शब्दों में उत्तर) 10 अंक
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
Article 39A mandates free legal aid to ensure justice is not denied due to economic or other disabilities. Under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, entitled persons include: members of SC/ST; women and children; victims of human trafficking or begar; mentally or physically disabled persons; victims of mass disasters, ethnic violence, or industrial accidents; industrial workmen; persons in custody; and individuals with an annual income below prescribed statutory limits.
Assessment of NALSA’s Role
NALSA has institutionalized a multi-tier delivery framework across National, State (SLSA), District (DLSA), and Taluk levels. It has successfully resolved millions of pending and pre-litigation disputes through National Lok Adalats, significantly lowered litigation costs, and facilitated victim compensation. Alongside the Department of Justice's Tele-Law and Nyaya Bandhu (pro bono) schemes, NALSA's legal aid clinics and its Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (2022) have expanded last-mile justice delivery.
However, its systemic impact is constrained by the poor quality and lack of accountability among underpaid legal aid counsels, low rural awareness, underutilization of Para-Legal Volunteers (PLVs), and persistent docket pendency.
Overall, while NALSA has effectively built institutional reach and alternative dispute resolution capacity, upgrading the quality and monitoring of empanelled lawyers is critical to achieving substantive justice.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS2 Legal System & Governance
What earns full marks: Precise eligibility criteria + NALSA's structural role + critical assessment of impact.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Define eligibility for free legal aid and evaluate NALSA's role in its delivery. 10 marks · 150 words
evaluate— criteria → evidence → balanced judgment
Must cover
- Cite Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987
- List categories: SC/ST, women, children, disabled, victims of trafficking and disasters, industrial workmen, persons in custody, and those below the income limit
- Explain NALSA's mandate (supervision, policy, funding)
- Assess effectiveness or challenges of NALSA
Loses marks
- Reciting Article 39A without linking to NALSA
- Failing to define who is entitled
- Descriptive tone without assessment of role
Earns more
- Mention Article 39A (Directive Principle)
- Reference Lok Adalats or District Legal Services
- Cite landmark judgments (e.g., Hussainara Khatoon v State of Bihar, Khatri v State of Bihar)
Extra mark
- Mention 2nd ARC or Law Commission recommendations
- Cite specific data on legal aid cases
What "Assess" is asking you to do
Size something up where no pass-or-fail standard exists — how far a role matters, how large an impact runs, how serious a problem is. Evaluate and assess are marked on the same scale; the working difference is that evaluate answers whether it worked, assess answers how much it weighs.
Structure that answers it
What is being sized up and on what evidence → evidence of reach → limits and counter-evidence → a stated degree, considerable or partial or marginal, with reasons
Where marks are lost
Describing the thing rather than sizing its effect. Calling something significant without saying how significant, or against what, loses the assessment marks.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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