The Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) and High Court Legal Servics Committee will jointly hold a conference of advocates from Dharwad, Bagalkot, Haveri, Gadag, Belgaum, Koppal, Bellary and Uttara Kannada districts on Sunday at the high court circuit bench premises in Dharwad. The conference will deliberate on ‘Advocates as resources persons in legal literacy programmes’, ‘Advocates as mediators in mediation and conciliation in Lok Adalat’ and ‘Role of advocates in legal aid programmes’.
Chief justice of Karnataka Justice P D Dinakaran will inaugurate the branches of State Judicial Academy, Mediation Centre and Janata Nyayalaya at 9.30 AM on Sunday. KSLSA executive chairman Justice V Gopal Gowda will preside. The CJ will inaugurate the conference at 10 AM. Justices Manjula Chellur, K Shridhar Rao, V G Sabhahit, K L Manjunath, state bar council chairman A R Khan, B D Hiremath and V D Kamareddy will be chief guests
Chairman of High Court Legal Services Committee and high court judge justice K L Manjunath told reporters here on Thursday the conference aims at sensitising advocates in legal aid services to empower the deprived class with legal help. He said the advocates need to be trained in mediation and other aspects in order to dispense justice to the needy. Over 2000 advocates will participate in the conference.
He said for the first time the branches of Karnataka Judicial Academy and Mediation Centre would be opened at Dharwad. The Lok Adalat building will also be inaugurated on the occasion.
Justice K L Manjunath said the Legal Literacy Chariot which has toured Bidar, Gulbarga and Raichur district was getting good response. Three more chariots will be set in motion to cover other parts of the state, he added. Replying to a question he said Karnataka Legal Services Authority would provide free legal aid to SC/STs, women, physically handicapped, children and those with less than an annual income of Rs 50000 and appealed to the people to make use the organization. When asked about the possibility of false cases being filed, Justice Manjunath said, the cases will be examined before being taken up. However educating the people is the ultimate means of discouraging them from misusing the facilities” he asserted.