[POCSO] 3rd Update on my father's case (still no bail)
Previous Post : https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceIndia/s/bqQlnEEkXI
Hey everyone, posting a very heavy and painful update to my previous posts regarding my father (Ex-BSF Constable, convicted by a General Security Force Court (GSFC) in a highly biased trial). I am a 21M, and my family is completely broken. We paid a private lawyer a good amount, and we just found out the truth by looking directly at the official order files. Maybe our lawyer completely misled us. He told us a bail matter was "ongoing" in the High Court, but the files show he only filed Civil Writ Petitions dealing with paperwork.
Our money is gone, nothing has been done on the criminal side, and my father has now spent nearly 3 years behind bars out of his 5-year sentence. The civil route through the BSF is completely over. We need to urgently pivot to a Criminal Appeal and an urgent Suspension of Sentence (Bail) application in the Delhi High Court based on the fact that he has served more than half his sentence.
We have absolutely no money left to hire another private lawyer. I am looking into approaching the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) or the Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee (DHCLSC) for free legal aid.
My questions for anyone with legal experience in Delhi:
How trusted/effective is DLSA / Legal Aid for criminal appeals in the High Court? Will a free legal aid lawyer actually fight a tough case like a POCSO conviction, or will they treat it like a file on a desk?
Does anyone know a trusted, honest criminal lawyer or legal aid advocate who works with panels in the Delhi High Court who handles custody/bail matters cleanly?
What is the process to hold a private lawyer accountable for misleading a client and failing to file the correct criminal applications?
Please upvote so this reaches Delhi lawyers or people who have used legal aid. We are desperate. Thank you 🙏