Kathmandu, September 20
The government is estimated to spend Rs 136.76 million annually to implement the proposed Free Legal Aid Bill, 2083.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobita Gautam registered the bill in the House of Representatives on September 18. The bill proposes providing legal aid to disadvantaged people through coordination among the federal, provincial and local levels.
It provides for the establishment of the National Legal Aid Council, an executive committee, and provincial and district legal aid committees. The proposed law would expand the existing scope and structure of free legal aid services, resulting in an additional financial burden on the government.
Of the estimated annual expenditure, Rs 43.72 million has been allocated for salaries of non-gazetted first-class employees in 65 districts and officer-level employees in all 77 districts through district legal aid committee offices. Additional expenses will be incurred for office operations and salaries of office assistants.
An estimated Rs 56.36 million will be spent on managing paid legal practitioners, while Rs 7.5 million has been allocated for meetings of the National Legal Aid Council. The council, chaired by the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, is expected to meet 15 times a year.
Similarly, Rs 4.5 million has been estimated for meetings of the executive committee and Rs 1.5 million for the secretariat expenses of the council and executive committee.
The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs said Rs 104.45 million is currently being spent on legal aid committees and paid legal practitioners. Implementation of the proposed bill would therefore increase the annual financial burden by an estimated Rs 48.71 million.
The ministry said the estimate does not include expenses for legal aid provided under the Senior Citizens Act, 2063, Domestic Violence (Offence and Punishment) Act, 2066, and Act Relating to Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2074. It also excludes legal aid costs covered by the Nepal Bar Association and non-governmental organisations.
The estimate does not include office rent, as legal aid offices are currently housed in existing government and legal institutions in some districts.
