https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=312849 An indigent accused facing possible imprisonment has a constitutional right to free legal aid under Article 21, and the trial court must inform him of that entitlement without waiting for an application. Where the accused was not informed and remained unrepresented, the trial became constitutionally defective; the absence of a request for aid did not cure the breach. The conviction and sentence were therefore set aside, and the consequential service dismissal was displaced with reinstatement ordered without back wages and without a fresh trial. en-us Mon, 10 Mar 1986 00:00:00 +0530 Tue, 12 Mar 2024 10:29:32 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=312849 An indigent accused facing possible imprisonment has a constitutional right to free legal aid under Article 21, and the trial court must inform him of that entitlement without waiting for an application. Where the accused was not informed and remained unrepresented, the trial became constitutionally defective; the absence of a request for aid did not cure the breach. The conviction and sentence were therefore set aside, and the consequential service dismissal was displaced with reinstatement ordered without back wages and without a fresh trial. Case-Laws Indian Laws Mon, 10 Mar 1986 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=312849