The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) on Friday launched the Veer Parivaar Sahayata Yojana 2025, a landmark legal aid initiative aimed at providing structured legal assistance to serving and retired armed forces personnel and their families. The scheme was introduced at a regional conference in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, by Justice Surya Kant, Supreme Court judge and Executive Chairman of NALSA.
Speaking at the North Zone Regional Conference on “Reaffirming the Constitutional Vision of Justice for Defence Personnel and Tribals,” Justice Surya Kant emphasized the need to extend legal protection to those who guard the nation’s frontiers.
“While our soldiers stand vigilant at the nation’s borders, we in the legal fraternity will stand equally vigilant in protecting their rights and their welfare at home,” he said.
The launch, held on the eve of Kargil Vijay Diwas, also commemorated 30 years of NALSA under Article 39A of the Constitution. The scheme will function through Legal Services Clinics set up at Zilla, Rajya, and Kendra Sainik Boards — which already serve as support centres for defence personnel.
Each clinic will have Nodal Officers, Legal Aid Counsel, and Para-Legal Volunteers, with an emphasis on community-based support. Notably, ex-servicemen and defence family members will be trained as volunteers, ensuring a sense of familiarity and trust among beneficiaries.
A core component is a jurisdictional transfer mechanism, which allows legal applications to be redirected to the appropriate area, particularly helpful for soldiers posted in remote or high-risk locations.
Justice Surya Kant also drew attention to everyday legal issues faced by soldiers, such as land disputes, marital problems, and service-related entitlements, highlighting the need for a tailored approach to justice delivery.
“A sipahi stationed in a remote post cannot simply leave his duty to attend to legal concerns. We cannot, for instance, expect a soldier serving in these very valleys of Jammu and Kashmir to personally manage a dispute concerning his home in distant Rajasthan,” he remarked.
The scheme, Justice Kant said, was in full alignment with the constitutional directive under Article 39A, which mandates equal justice and free legal aid.
The conference also addressed concerns of tribal and nomadic communities, spotlighting NALSA’s SAMVAD scheme, aimed at empowering marginalized groups in remote areas.
The event was attended by dignitaries including Justices PS Narsimha, Rajesh Bindal, N Kotiswar Singh, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, J&K LG Manoj Sinha, and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Chief Justices from six northern High Courts, top Army officers, and legal services authorities were also present.
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