NALSA Reconstituted with 9 New Members: Justice Kannan Krishnamoorthy & Justice P. Sam Koshy Lead Judicial Representation

The Central Government has reconstituted the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) with the appointment of nine new members, replacing earlier entries notified under the original 1997 constitution notification.

The appointments, which have been made in consultation with the Chief Justice of India were issued through a Gazette notification dated 1 December 2025 under Section 3(1) and Section 3(2)(c) of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

The latest appointee list consists of prominent names from different sectors including the judiciary, the bar, medicine and academia.

As per the notification, the newly substituted members at serial numbers 5, 6, and 7 include:

Justice Kannan Krishnamoorthy (Retd.) who previously served as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. His judicial career included adjudication across civil, criminal and constitutional matters before demitting office.

Justice P. Sam Koshy, who is a sitting Judge of the Telangana High Court, Justice Koshy has served the judiciary for over a decade, includingR an earlier tenure at the Chhattisgarh High Court. He currently serves as the Executive Chairman of the Telangana State Legal Services Authority, a statutory body responsible for ensuring access to justice and implementation of legal aid programs. His judicial work includes service in constitutional, service, civil, and criminal law jurisdictions.

The appointments also bring in the following distinguished personalities from the fields of Law, Medicine and Academia as members:

Prof. Jaishankar Singh, who leads Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab as its Vice-Chancellor and Prof. (Dr.) Harpreet Kaur who serves as the Vice-Chancellor of National Law University, Jodhpur.

Prof. (Dr.) S. Sivakumar, a senior faculty member at the Indian Law Institute, who is widely associated with legal education and research in public law.

Dr. Rohit Bhatia is a well-known medical expert joining the list; he is a neurologist heading clinical and research initiatives at All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi’s Neurosciences Centre.

Senior Advocates Sonia Mathur, Gaurav Agarwal, and K. Parameshwar, also join the list in recognition of their extensive practice before the Supreme Court and various High Courts, further strengthening NALSA’s interdisciplinary composition.

The Gazette also carries a detailed reference list of all prior amendments to the NALSA constitution since 1997, underscoring the periodic restructuring of the Authority in accordance with statutory mandates.

The inclusion of judges, senior advocates, academics and medical professionals to the composition of NALSA is expected to significantly strengthen the Authority’s work in advancing its core mandate of providing free legal aid, promoting equal access to justice, and ensuring effective implementation of legal-services schemes across the country.

The diversity among the members would aid understanding of different fields, and better equip the Authority to approach legal aid through different perspectives.

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