The State shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice, on a basis of equal opportunity, and shall, in particular, provide free legal aid, by suitable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities.
Earlier there was no statutory body for implementation of this policy of providing legal aid to the needy. This duty was mainly performed by non-governmental and voluntary organizations apart from the Kerala State Legal Aid and Advice Board, a body constituted by the Government by executive orders. The Parliament enacted the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, creating statutory bodies for the purpose of providing legal aid service to weaker sections of the society, as per which a National Legal Services Authority was constituted as an apex body under whom various State Legal Services Authorities were to function.
Kerala State Legal Services Authority is the authority to provide free and competent legal service to the weaker sections of the society and to ensure that the opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities and to organise Lok Adalats to secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity.