New facility at Public Facilitation Centre to guide people seeking legal assistance; court services online
The Supreme Court on Monday established a Legal Aid Cell at its Public Facilitation Centre (PFC) to assist deserving litigants seeking guidance in pursuing or defending their legal rights.
According to Shumaila Naz of the Judicial Reforms Initiative, a dedicated legal assistant has been appointed at the cell to guide eligible individuals towards appropriate legal assistance.
Naz said the facility was aimed at making access to justice simpler and more responsive, and would complement the administrative and facilitation services already being provided through the PFC.
The centre functions as a one-window facility for litigants and visitors to the Supreme Court, allowing them to seek assistance at a single point instead of approaching different branches of the court separately.
Naz said the PFC coordinates internally with the relevant branches to help citizens access the service they require.
The initiative is also part of the apex court’s broader effort to expand technology-based public services. Nearly 20 services are currently accessible online through the PFC portal on the Supreme Court’s website, allowing citizens to avail themselves of several facilities without visiting the court premises, she said.
The court has also introduced the 1818 helpline through which members of the public can obtain information about their cases, seek assistance in using online services and raise administrative queries.
Naz said the Legal Aid Cell would now provide an additional channel through the same facilitation framework for people requiring legal assistance.
She said access to justice was not limited to entering a courtroom, but also required citizens to be able to understand procedures, identify the relevant offices and obtain information about their cases without unnecessary difficulty.
The PFC, its online portal, the 1818 helpline and the newly established Legal Aid Cell were interconnected initiatives aimed at making the Supreme Court more accessible and responsive to litigants, she added.
“The idea is to ensure that a citizen does not have to know which branch to approach, whom to contact, or where to go merely to obtain an answer,” Naz said.
She said the broader objective was to organise administrative, technological and legal assistance around the needs of citizens rather than requiring litigants to navigate the court system on their own.
