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Supreme Court of India2022AIR 2022 SC 3454Criminalimportant
Nirmal Kumar Jain v. Union of India
Nirmal Kumar JainvsUnion of India
3-Judge Bench
Constitutional Law
Legal AidEffective RepresentationNALSAArticle 21Article 39AAccess to Justice
Core Ruling / Ratio Decidendi
Legal aid must be meaningful and effective, not merely a formality of appointing a lawyer. Incompetent legal aid violates Article 21. Legal services authorities must ensure quality of representation. Accused must be able to meaningfully participate in his defence.
Judgment Summary
English
Held that legal aid lawyers appointed for unrepresented accused in criminal courts must be competent and dedicated. The right to legal aid includes the right to effective legal representation. Appointing token advocates for legal aid is a violation of Article 21.
हिंदी (Hindi)
आपराधिक न्यायालयों में असहाय आरोपियों के लिए नियुक्त कानूनी सहायता वकील सक्षम और समर्पित होने चाहिए। कानूनी सहायता का अधिकार प्रभावी कानूनी प्रतिनिधित्व का अधिकार शामिल करता है।