In India, Legal Services Authorities provide free legal services to which of the following type of citizens? 1. Person with an annual income of less than ₹ 1,00,000 2. Transgender with an annual income of less than ₹ 2,00,000 3. Member of Other Backward Classes (OBC) with an annual income of less than ₹ 3,00,000 4. All Senior Citizens Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer: A. STATEMENTS 1 AND 2 ARE CORRECT — Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987 covers persons with annual income below Rs 1 lakh AND transgender persons in eligible categories. The LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITIES ACT, 1987 was enacted to provide FREE AND COMPETENT LEGAL SERVICES to the weaker sections of society, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied due to economic or other disabilities. SECTION 12 of the Act lists categories of persons ENTITLED TO FREE LEGAL SERVICES regardless of income (i.e., on the basis of social status): - Members of Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes. - Victims of trafficking in human beings or begar. - Women and children. - Persons with disability (under the RPWD Act). - Persons under circumstances of undeserved want — victim of mass disaster, ethnic violence, caste atrocity, flood, drought, earthquake, industrial disaster. - Industrial workman. - In custody (including prisoners on remand, juvenile delinquents). - TRANSGENDER PERSONS (added through the NALSA scheme and Transgender Persons Act 2019 read with NALSA's Identity recognition). - Persons in receipt of an ANNUAL INCOME BELOW THE NOTIFIED CEILING (varies by state). Statement 1 — Persons with income below Rs 1,00,000: CORRECT. NALSA's standard income ceiling for state-level legal services was set around Rs 1 lakh per annum (the Supreme Court has its own higher ceiling of Rs 5 lakh for SC matters). Many state authorities have ceilings around Rs 1-3 lakhs depending on local economic conditions. Statement 2 — Transgender with income below Rs 2,00,000: CORRECT. Transgender persons are eligible irrespective of income for many legal services; with income limits being relaxed/scaled. The NALSA judgment 2014 emphasised transgender access to justice. Statement 3 — OBC with income below Rs 3,00,000: WRONG. The Legal Services Authorities Act 1987 does NOT extend free legal services to OBCs based on income. SCs/STs receive automatic eligibility; OBCs as a category do not. Statement 4 — All senior citizens: WRONG. Senior citizens are NOT automatically entitled to free legal services. Eligibility depends on income or specific situations (mass disaster, etc.). Source: Legal Services Authorities Act 1987 / National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) Regulations / NALSA vs Union of India (2014).