Section 12(2) in The Maharashtra State legal Aid and Advice Scheme, 1979
(2)Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions, the Committee shall exercise the following powers and perform the following functions, namely(a)to receive and investigate applications for legal aid and advice;(b)to provide for giving of legal advice;(c)to maintain panels of legal practitioners and others for giving legal aid or advice;(d)to decide all questions as to the grant of, or withdrawal of legal aid;(e)to arrange to make payment of honorarium to legal practitioners on the panel for legal aid or advice provided by them and generally to provide for other costs, charges and expenses of legal aid from the grants placed at the disposal of the Committee;(f)to take proceedings for recovery of costs, charges and expenses recoverable under sub-clause (2) of clause 31 and to ensure that the same are credited to Government;(g)to provide for other legal services to the weaker sections of the community within its area;(h)to submit recommendations and suggest improvements in the working of the legal service programme;(i)to prepare, consolidate and submit such returns, reports and statistical information in regard to the legal service programme within its area, as the Board may call for;(j)irrespective of the means test, to initiate proceedings or grant aid-(i)in cases of great public importance; or(ii)in a test case, the decision of which is likely to affect cases of numerous other persons belonging to the weaker sections of the community; or(iii)in a special case, which for reasons to be recorded in writing, is considered otherwise deserving of legal aid.
