Acting CJ inaugurates Legal Aid Defense Counsel System

CHENNAI: Madras High Court's Acting Chief Justice T Raja had inaugurated the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) – an initiative by the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA) to extend legal help to the poor and downtrodden people who are facing criminal cases.

According to the TNSLSA, the system will enable the poor accused who are unable to engage defense counsels for defending their cases.

In the first phase, this system will be available in 14 districts i.e, Chengalpattu, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Madurai, Nagapattinam, Sivaganga, Theni, Tiruppur, Tiruchi, Tirunelveli, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Villupuram, and Virudhunagar. The ACJ inaugurated the system through video conference mode from his chamber.

"Legal Aide Defense Counsel System will act as a boon for the poor and downtrodden people who are facing criminal cases and unable to afford counsel for their cases," the ACJ said.

The TNSLSA has noted that the system will be implemented in a phased manner in all the districts within this financial year. "LADCS will be implemented along with the public defender system. Experienced advocates will be selected for defending the cases for the needy ones," TNSLSA deputy secretary T Jayasree said in a press note.