Legal aid clinics thriving in Cuttack hospitals

Encouraged by the success of legal aid clinics in hospitals, the Cuttack district legal aid services authority opened a legal aid clinic at the City Hospital here today.
Cuttack district judge S N Mishra inaugurated the clinic, which is eighth such clinic in the district and third in any hospital in the state.
"The clinic would be operational on Monday and Thursday every week during which para-legal volunteers would provide legal aid services to the needy and represent the service seekers in different courts and tribunals", said the district secretary Soumyak Patra. The poor, destitute women and children and physically handicapped people would be provided free legal aid facilities, he added.

Such clinics are running successfully in the mental ward of SCB Medical College and Hospital and "Sahaya', a unit of Odisha state branch of Red Cross Society for nearly three years now.
"More than 20 para-legal volunteers (advocates) are empanelled by the district legal services authority, who are giving free legal aid services to the needy, Patra informed.