Gujarat High Court Criminal Manual (subordinate court practice), 1977
The Government of Gujarat, vide resolution No. LAC-1070-D, dated 31st January, 1972, accepted the recommendations of the Legal Aid Committee and decided to grant legal aid to certain classes of persons mentioned in the said Government Resolution, for instituting and defending proceedings in civil, criminal, revenue, labour and other courts or tribunals in certain talukas. By Resolution No. LAC-1070-D, dated 10th July, 1973, the Government has widened the scope of the Pilot Project of the legal aid scheme and has extended it to other classes of persons also. The scheme provides for the legal aid to the persons who have income not less than Rs. 2400/- per annum and immovable property less than Rs. 5,000/- in value and to Widows and Jawans, ex-servicemen having income upto Rs. 2400/- per annum, Bhangis and Scavengers and unorganised labourers whose income is less than Rs. 2400/- per annum. The Government has also extended the legal aid to all the persons of defence personnel (i.e., Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen) domiciled in the State of Gujarat. The said scheme provides for the legal aid to the above referred classes of persons for the court fees, process fees, copying charges and witness bhatia which they have to pay in connection with the institution or defence of the proceedings in the civil, criminal, revenue, labour and other courts or tribunals, not only at the taluka level, but also at the district level and even at the higher level, i.e., for instituting and defending the proceedings in the courts or tribunals to which appeals, revisions, references or applications may lie from the decision, judgment, decree or order, etc., of the courts or tribunals at the taluka and District levels. The question of eligibility of the grant of the legal aid and advice at the district level and at the higher level is to be decided by the concerned District Legal Aid Committee or the High Court Legal Aid Committee, as the case may be. At the taluka level, the question of eligibility to the grant of the legal aid and advice is to be decided by the Taluka Legal Aid Committee. The said scheme