Legal Aid Centre

ABOUT CENTRE

Vidhik Sahayata Kendra (Legal Aid Centre) was inaugurated on 5th January, 2023 in collaboration with Delhi State Legal Services Authority in college campus to spread legal literacy and provide free legal aid to all students and faculty members in need. Miranda House, being an institution that has always supported its members through various challenges, the legal aid centre extends the same in the form of free legal and consumer consultative aid.

With its motto as “Empowerment Through Legal Awareness”, the Centre hosts a DSLSA appointed every Friday from 2pm to 5pm within the college campus. Apart from offering free legal aid, the Centre has also conducted various outreach and awareness programs.

Since its inception on 5h January, 2023, the Centre has organised a Certificate Course of like Legal Anti-Defection Empowerment Programs with 258 ạ participants walk-a-thon along with several speaker sessions on topics to spread awareness against cancer and two internship programs resulting the production of research articles on topics of socio legal importance.

VISION AND MISSION

The centre aims to create a just and equitable society where everyone has access to legal literacy and legal protection and empowerment, regardless of their background or financial situation. The mission of the Legal Aid Centre is to provide high-quality, free or low-cost legal services to needy and vulnerable populations, promoting equal access to justice and human rights. We aim to empower individuals and communities through legal education and advocacy. To provide compassionate and comprehensive legal representation and to address systemic injustices and promote policy reform. We aim to foster partnerships and collaborations to amplify our impact and to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.

COLLABORATIONS AND PATNERSHIPS

Vidhik Sahayata Kendra majorly collaborating with Delhi State Legal Services Authority has amplified the legal knowledge and opened a window towards research and policy reviews.

Starting from March 2023 till Jully 2023, the Centre organised an internship program which resulted in the successful production of several research papers and articles on various issues of socio-legal importance like Senior Citizens Laws, Disability Rights and Research Accomodation, etc. Following the resounding success of the first edition of the internship program, the Centre initiated its second edition in Septermber, 2023 with 31 interns dividing into two broad roles – research interns and outreach intern.

In August, the Centre also organised its first certificate program – Certificate Program on Empowerment through Legal Awareness – for visually impaired students of Miranda House along with Lakshita : The Enabling Unit. The program hosted 10 participants, out of whom 7 qualified for the certificate.

Since then, the Centre has also organised speaker sessions on topicsl like Anti – Defection and Cancer Awareness to spread awareness.

Some of the planned tasks for the coming months include community visits, conducting awareness sessions and quizzes and organising outreach activties for the Centre. The Centre has also joined hands with various other clubs and societies within college to noy only organise events spreading legal awareness with them (Quizzes, Film Screenings, etc.) but also to reach out to their beneficiary group, if any (Enactus, NSS, etc. )

Moreover, the Centre has constantly been working on efficiently structuring its works and tasks for which three broad verticals have now been created – Logistics, PR and Outreach and Social Media. Establishing an effective social media presence is one of the foremost tasks planned for the coming months.

ACTIVITIES

‘Street Play on Laws related to Acid Attack’, The play was organised in collaboration with the Delhi State Legal Services Authority and Navmanchan Theatre . Through the street play, the actors demonstrated several instances of acid attack as prevalent around us and shares information about mechanisms through which the victim can fight for justice. The play was also immensely useful in sharing information about the free legal aid offered by DSLSA and the existing provisions for the same in the Legal Aid Centre, Miranda House.

□ EMPOWERMENT THROUGH LEGAL AWARENESS : A Two – Week Certificate Program, The Legal Aid Centre, Miranda House conducted a two week online certificate course on“Empowerment through Legal Awareness” for the visually impaired students of Lakshita : The Enabling Society, Miranda House. The program progressed in three parts wherein the participants were initially provided a google form quiz to test their general knowledge about laws and rights prevalent in daily life. This quiz hosted questions such as important helpline numbers, information about the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (Divyangjan) (NIEPVD), etc.

□The Legal Aid Centre, Miranda House organized its first internship program from March 2023 to July 2023 in hybrid mode . A part of the internship program, the interns had three primary tasks allotted i.e. facilitating the day-to-day functioning of the Legal Aid Centre, participating in outreach activities on and outside campus and writing a research paper on any topic – socio legal governance. Interns also visited the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Old Age Home in Delhi as a part of their internship and interacted with the residents there regarding the latter’s perceptions and awareness of laws and rights.

□ The Legal Aid Centre organised ‘The Legal Quiz’ in collaboration with the Quiz Society of Miranda House. The quiz was open to all students of Miranda House and hosted questions regarding various constitutional provisions, known legal cases and judgements of India and other countries and so on. The quiz master’s for the day were Ms. Zohra (President, Quiz Society, Miranda House) and Mr. Siddarth Kumar (Quiz Society, NLSIU Bangalore).

□ The Miranda Law and Policy Review (MLPR)concentrates on the intersection of law and public policy. MLPR functions under the aegis of the Legal Aid Centre.

MLPR invites scholars and researchers of all backgrounds, including undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil, and PhD students, research scholars, professionals, and more, to contribute their work on the topics of law and public policy. This edition does not limit itself to any particular theme, and submissions on a wide range of topics are invited MLPR, the flagship journal of Miranda House, seeks to bridge the gap between the study and practice of more than just law and policy. It also concerns itself with research methodologies in India. It looks forward to featuring researchers sharing their on-the-ground experiences of practicing law and policy analysis, advocacy, etc.

□ The Legal Aid Centre, Miranda House and the Department of Political Science, Miranda House, successfully organized a thought-provoking workshop on ‘Exploring India’s Anti-Defection Law’. Led by the dynamic duo of Ms. Ritwika Sharma and Ms. Mayuri Gupta, both esteemed Research Fellows at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, the session was nothing short of insightful.

□ Speaker Session on Cancer Awareness : The Legal Aid Centre, Miranda House, in collaboration with Central and West District Legal Services Authority, hosted an enlightening session, shedding light on the critical issue of gynaecological cancers. The event was honoured by the esteemed presence ofDr Prerna Lakhwani , Gynaecologic Oncologist, along with Ms. Helly Fur Kaur, Ld. Secretary, Central DLSA, and Mr. Tushar Gupta, Ld. Secretary, West DLSA.

□ Walkathon on Cancer Awareness : The Legal Aid Centre, in collaboration with the Central and West District Legal Services Authority, hosted a Walk-A-Thon on World Cancer Day from Miranda House Hostel to Malka Ganj. Upon reaching their designated spot, the group was warmly welcomed by a team of artists prepared to perform a street play centered around the theme of World Cancer Day.