New Delhi, March 13 -- During Financial Year 2025-26 (up to January 2026), 16,60,249 persons have been provided free legal aid and advice, the Union Law Ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Friday, highlighting the government's efforts to ensure affordable and accessible justice for citizens across the country.

According to the Ministry, the government is implementing several initiatives to improve access to justice, including the scheme "Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA)", which aims to strengthen legal assistance mechanisms in line with the provisions of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

Under the Tele-Law component of the scheme, citizens are connected with panel lawyers to obtain pre-litigat...