The Delhi High Court has directed the concerned selection committee to conclude the process for selecting Para-Legal Volunteers (PLVs) at the earliest, allowing law students in their second and third years to be considered under the existing rules.
Justice Jasmeet Singh passed the order on August 14, 2026, while dealing with a petition concerning the delay in training and induction of selected University of Delhi law students as PLVs.
Background of the Case
The petitioners, law students of the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, sought their induction as PLVs with the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA).
According to the petition, Legal Aid Societies connected with Campus Law Centre and Law Centre-II, along with the University of Delhi, conducted a selection process in September 2025. A list of selected students was forwarded to the DSLSA on October 28, 2025.
The petitioners submitted that the training programme was subsequently put on hold. They also claimed that more than 600 PLV vacancies were available with the DSLSA.
The dispute arose after a communication dated April 21, 2026 stated that there was, at that stage, no requirement to consider law students for deployment as PLVs.
Court's Observation
During the hearing, the DSLSA relied on the NALSA Scheme for Para-Legal Volunteers (Revised). The Scheme specifically includes “Students & Law Students (till they enroll as lawyers)” among the groups from which PLVs can be selected.
The Court noted that law students were only one of several streams from which PLVs could be selected and that the Scheme did not prescribe any fixed proportion for recruitment from a particular stream.
Justice Jasmeet Singh observed:
“In this view of the matter, the only instruction that can be issued in the present case is a request to the Committee to conclude the selection procedure for PLVs as per the extant rules and regulation at the earliest, so as to enable law students who are in their 2nd and 3rd year of their courses to be selected as PLVs.”
The Court also took note of the fact that third-year students would be graduating shortly.
Decision
The High Court directed that the selection committee complete the PLV selection procedure in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations. It further expected the committee to keep third-year students in mind and, hopefully, give them preference.
The Court directed that the necessary action be completed within one month and disposed of the petition accordingly.
Case Details
Case Title: Sidharth Yadav & Anr. v. Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) & Ors.
Case Number: W.P.(C) 10760/2026
Judge: Justice Jasmeet Singh
Decision Date: August 14, 2026
 Act (UAPA)-300x169.webp)
