Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Monday appointed Justice JK Maheshwari as the Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC).
As per a notification issued by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), CJI Surya Kant, exercising his statutory authority under Section 3A of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, appointed Justice Nath as the Chairman of SCLSC.
The Act empowered the CJI to appoint a sitting judge of the Supreme Court to lead the SCLSC.
Justice Maheshwari has been serving on the Supreme Court Bench since 2021. He brings extensive judicial experience across constitutional, criminal, and civil jurisprudence.
During his tenure, he has contributed to significant decisions concerning access to justice, statutory interpretation, and procedural fairness, echoing the Supreme Court’s long-established jurisprudence in Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar (1979) and Khatri v. State of Bihar (1981), which reaffirmed the constitutional imperative of free legal aid under Articles 21 and 39A of the Constitution.
As Chairperson of the SCLSC, Justice Maheshwari will oversee the Committee’s mandate to provide competent, free legal assistance to eligible litigants in matters before the Supreme Court, including the scrutiny of legal aid applications, appointment of counsel, and supervision of legal representation in public interest and indigent matters.
Justice Maheshwari succeeds Justice Surya Kant, who vacated the position last week, following his elevation as the 53rd CJI.
In a similar development, Justice Vikram Nath assumed the office as the Executive Chairman of NALSA today.
The post Justice JK Maheshwari appointed as Chairperson of Supreme Court Legal Services Committee appeared first on India Legal.