State Legal Services Authority A&N Islands High Court of Kolkata, Circuit Bench, Port Blair Introduction

            The Andaman and Nicobar Islands State Legal Services Authority started its legal movement some time in November, 1997. The A & N Islands Legal Services Authority Rules, 1997 was framed on 18/8/1997 and the Regulations were made on 27/1/1998 and then different authorities namely; District Legal Services Authority, Sub Divisional Legal Services Committee and High Court Legal Services Committee have been established and each of these authorities and committees are functioning. The legal services Authority Act, 1987 amended in the year of 2002 with a view to bring Chapter 6 for pre-litigation, conciliation and settlement. The objective of the Legal Services Authority Act is to ensure Justice for all and no person shall be deprived of his life and personal liberty without due process of law.

The tasks before the authorities for legal service of this Territory in providing "free and competent legal services to the weaker section of the Society to ensure that opportunities for securing are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities and to organize Lok Adalat to secure with the operation of legal system promotes Justice on a basis of equal opportunity" are much more difficult them those similar authorities functioning in different states of the Country due to physical entity, geographical location of these Islands.

The A & N Islands located in the Bay of Bengal comprises an area of 8249sq.kms.having its capital at Port Blair. 86% of the area are covered by the forest and the total population of these Islands is about 5 lakhs with whom we are to negotiate.

The A & N Administration consists of two districts of Andaman and Nicobar. Tribals of different groups mainly reside in the Nicobar district of Islands. The vessel is the life-line and the only means of conveyance to approach one Island from another and we have to face tremendous difficulties in approaching people of different remotes Islands from Port Blair. Journey by vessel to conduct a programme takes lot of time and money.

          The U. T of A & N Islands is comes under the jurisdiction of High Court of Calcutta under its extended jurisdiction Act 1953. As regards the composition of subordinate Judiciary, in the Andaman district there are two Judicial Magistrates-cum-Civil Judge (Junior Division) at Port Blair and one Judicial Magistrate-cum-civil Judge (Junior Division) at Mayabunder, besides one Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-civil Judge (Senior Division) exercising jurisdiction over the District of Andaman. For the Nicobar District comprising Nicobar Group of Islands, there are one Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Civil Judge (Senior Division) at Car Nicobar and one Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Civil Judge (Jr. Division) at Campbell Bay. The number of civil cases at Car Nicobar and Campbell Bay are too negligible and the number of criminal cases are also small and majority of the cases are petty offences where the accused plead guilty. There is one District and Session Judge who exercises jurisdiction over the Districts of Andaman and Nicobar. There are considerable amount of cases in the courts at Port Blair but the figures are not so alarming.

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