Legal Aid and Service Clinic-Banaras Hindu University,Varanasi

The Legal Aid and Service Clinic is a constituent unit of the Faculty of Law / Law School, Banaras Hindu University. The Clinic has been serving the poor and marginalized people of the society since the years 1977.

In order to achieve the goal of social justice, the Clinic provides free legal aid and services to the poor and weaker sections of society. The Clinic provides free legal help, advice and counseling on all working days between 04.00 to 06.00 pm. The Clinic has a separate office within the premises of Law School. The Clinic also provides various kinds of legal services to poor to facilitate access to justice. The Legal Aid Clinic also organizes many kinds of academic activities such as organization of seminars, workshops, lectures by experts, paralegal training for volunteers of NGOs, legal literacy awareness camp, legal awareness exhibition, internship to students , legal research and advocacy etc.
The Legal Aid and Service Clinic is a partner institution of the District Legal Services Authority, Varanasi, an official body created at the district level under the the Legal Services Act, 1987. The Clinic organizes programs in association with the Uttar Pradesh State Legal Services Authority , Lucknow http://upslsa.up.nic.in . The Clinic follows guidelines and policy decisions of the National Legal Services Authority, New Delhi http://nalsa.gov.in/

For administrative purposes, at the Faculty level, there is a "Clinical Legal Education Program & Legal Aid and Service Committee", which is headed by the Head and Dean, Faculty of Law, who is ex-officio Director of the Legal Aid and Service Clinic. A team of faculty members including the Joint Director and the Organizing Secretary along with student volunteers of Law School work with the Dean to run the Clinic and execute various activities under Clinical Legal Education Program. In the present academic session of 2016-2017 , about twelve faculty members and seventy student volunteers of Law School provide their services to the Clinic. The Clinic also receives guidance and assistance from other faculty members, students and alumni of the Law School.

OUR OBJECTIVES

Objective of the Legal Aid and Service Clinic is to achieve our constitutional goals as enshrined under the Preamble of the Constitution of India. The Constitution of India wishes to secure to all its citizens Justice, Liberty, Equality, and to promote among them all, Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and unity and integrity of the nation.

The member of the Clinic strives to follow ideals of Bharat Ratna Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya ji – Founder of Banaras Hindu University, and Mahatma Gandhi – father of the Nation, for both serving the down trodden people is another way of worshiping the God.