Legal Aid Movement in Pondicherry was started in 1976 under the direction of a Retired District Judge and a devoted group of Law College Students. The Legal Aid Clinic run thus far by the students and teachers of the Law College came under this Retired Judge and his group of Law students. The Clinic offered legal advice and rendered preventive legal services, enlightening the public of their legal rights and duties. A group of Lawyers on the panel of the Clinic rendered their services to parties in Civil and Criminal matters. The Clinic engaged, additionally, in Legal Literacy and Community Legal Education Works with the help of mobile Legal Aid Squads. Further, it gave research support to the solution of poverty-related problems and suggested legislative changes and administrative reforms. Eventually, the activities of the Clinic diversified into consumer movement, environmental protection, community health and group legal services for workers and peasants. All this while, it functioned as a voluntary agency subsisting on the free services of social-minded Judges, lawyers, law teachers and law students. With the establishment of CILAS (Committee for the Implementation of Legal Aids Scheme) in 1980, the Government of Pondicherry, in 1983, constituted Pondicherry Legal Aid and Advice Board with the Chief Minister as Chairman, the Law Minister as Vice-Chairman and a retired District Judge as Member Secretary with financial assistance flowing, for the first time, from the Government. Regional Legal Aid Committee was constituted for each of the outlying areas: Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. The provisions of Chapter – III of the National Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 was extended to Pondicherry on 26-02-1998. Soon, on 01-05-1998, the Union Territory of Pondicherry Legal Services Authority was born.