Hisar: The prolonged agitation by bar associations across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh against the Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) Scheme ended on Monday after the Joint Action Committee (JAC) said it had received assurances from the Centre and the judiciary that the scheme would be reviewed. The committee called off the strike with immediate effect.Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association vice-president Ashish Bishnoi, who is also a member of the JAC, said the delegation first met Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in New Delhi before holding discussions with the Chief Justice of India, who is also the patron-in-chief of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), in the presence of NALSA chairman Justice Vikram Nath.The delegation included Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association president Rohit Sud, secretary Parampreet Singh Bajwa and representatives of bar associations from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh.According to the JAC, the delegation conveyed the legal fraternity’s concerns over the LADC Scheme and its impact on the existing criminal defence system. The committee claimed it was assured that no fresh appointments under the scheme would be made till September and that the existing framework would be reviewed.The JAC also claimed it was assured that, after consultations with the legal fraternity, a revised policy would be framed and the earlier panel advocate system for legal aid restored.The strike, which had disrupted court work across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh for several weeks, was withdrawn following the meetings.Photo caption: Members of the joint action committee outside the Supreme Court after meetings with the Chief Justice of India and other authorities on the LADC Scheme
