CHANDIGARH, July 16 —To uphold the right to legal representation for incarcerated individuals, the Punjab State Legal Services Authority (PULSA) has filed criminal appeals in 406 cases on behalf of convicts in the state’s prisons who had remained unrepresented despite being entitled to free legal aid.
The drive forms part of a national “Mission Mode” initiative launched under the stewardship of Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant, Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). The campaign is aimed at ensuring meaningful access to justice for prisoners who have long suffered in silence, often without any legal defence during their appeals.
“This is not a one-time exercise. The process of filing such appeals is continuous and persistent so that legal aid is provided to prisoners who have long suffered in silence,” said Justice Deepak Sibal, Executive Chairman of PULSA.
Spearheading the effort in Punjab are High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Patron-in-Chief of PULSA, and Justice Sibal, who have led the mission from policy to practice through close coordination with the Punjab and Haryana High Court, PULSA, District Legal Services Authorities, and Taluk Legal Services Committees.
Under the campaign branded as Mission Mode Punjab, PULSA began by identifying 460 convicted inmates across Punjab in need of legal aid. Appeals have been filed in 406 cases, with the remainder currently being processed. Legal teams have facilitated the preparation of required “paper books”—document compilations necessary for appeal proceedings—which have been submitted to the High Court Legal Services Committee.
Recognizing the logistical difficulties many inmates face, PULSA, in collaboration with the High Court Legal Services Committee, has also established a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to enable videoconferencing between legal aid counsel and jail inmates. The SOP appoints nodal officers to ensure no prisoner is left out of legal communication due to practical constraints.
“This bridge between lawyer and prisoner is essential for timely and effective representation,” an official involved in the implementation said. “It’s about bringing justice to the doorstep of the most vulnerable.”
In tandem with this legal aid campaign, PULSA has also launched Mission Parole Sahayata Abhiyan, a complementary initiative focused on securing timely parole for eligible inmates. Legal Aid Clinics inside prisons identify eligible prisoners and assist with preparing and filing parole applications. In cases of denial, they help prisoners move appeals or writ petitions before relevant authorities or courts.
Justice Surya Kant, who has taken a personal interest in driving both campaigns across India—particularly in his parent court of Punjab and Haryana—has been instrumental in translating this national vision into tangible action. Officials say the initiative represents a systemic shift, ensuring legal access is not just a right on paper but a working reality in every jail across the state.
As appeals move forward, legal officers stress that the efforts are ongoing and the mission is far from complete, but the momentum signals a long-overdue turn toward equitable justice in the prison system.
