Legal services clinic inaugurated at Rajya Sainik Board

DIMAPUR — Judge of Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman of National Legal Services, Justice Surya Kant, virtually inaugurated the legal services clinic at Rajya Sainik Board, Directorate of Sainik Welfare and Resettlement, in for Ex-servicemen on Saturday under the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) scheme ‘Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana.’

The inauguration coincided with the national launch of ‘NALSA Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana 2025,’ a flagship initiative aimed at providing free and competent legal services to serving defence personnel, Ex-servicemen and their families.

An update from Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA) stated that the scheme is a collaborative effort between NALSA, Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB), Rajya Sainik Boards (RSB) and Zilla Sainik Boards (ZSB) under the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW), Ministry of Defence.

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It stated that the nationwide inauguration of legal services clinics across all states and union territories was held through video conference from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir by Justice Surya Kant in presence of chief justices of various states, MoS Law and Justice, Lt. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, chief minister of J&K, GOC-in-C of Northern Command along with other distinguished guests from armed forces, paramilitary forces and legal fraternity.

In his address, Justice Surya Kant expressed the need to explore ways in which the judiciary can contribute more directly to the well-being of soldiers, ex-servicemen or their children. He remarked that the legal fraternity must do its part to ensure soldiers defending the country are not left alone to handle personal legal crises.

It mentioned that the new scheme is designed to address the inability of soldiers, deployed in far-flung areas, to appear before the court or follow through on legal cases involving family property, domestic disputes or land matters. It added that through the newly introduced initiative, NALSA would intervene to ensure that such cases are properly represented in courts across the country.

The inaugural programme in Kohima under the aegis of NSLSA was attended by Director of Raja Sainik Board and PRO and spokesperson Ministry of Defence, Manipur, Nagaland and Southern Arunachal Pradesh, Lt. Col. Amit Shukla; NSLSA member secretary, Neiko Akami; host of retired para military and panel lawyers.

The legal services clinic at RSB Nagaland aims to address the unique legal challenges faced by the armed forces including matters related to pensions, service benefits, family disputes, property rights and other civil grievances.